

In addition, the Crown must prove that the accused intended to obtain something from the victim or cause something to be done by the victim as a result of the threats, menace, violence or accusations. To gain a conviction in an extortion case the Crown must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the accused used threats, menace, violence or accusations to induce or attempt to induce the victim to do anything or cause anything to be done and that the accused had no legal excuse or justification for doing. What Must the Crown Prove to Gain a Conviction?Īs with any criminal offence, the Crown must prove all of the elements of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt. What are the Penalties for being Convicted of Extortion? What is a Reasonable Justification or Excuse? What Counts as a Threat under s.346 of the Criminal Code? What must the Crown Prove to Gain a Conviction?

Global News: Extortion Cases increased 170% from 2012 to 2018 in Canada: StatCan. It is important to know Your Rights and the Consequences associated with a Criminal Record.ĬBC Radio: International Crime, Extorion and Cyber Attacks. The person being extorted often feels helpless because they are required to comply with never ending demands being leveraged with the fear of exposure.Įxtortion can also occur in the context of Assaults, Sexual Assaults, Theft, Revenge Porn and Fraud allegations. These types of extortion are a slippery slope which can materialize over time. The Firm frequently defends people being extorted by an ex-lover or in business where a person is threatening to disclose misconduct. This type of extortion can also occur in the context of an extra-marital affair, where one individual threatens to expose the affair to the other individual’s spouse. This type of extortion often occurs in intimate relationship situations where one partner threatens to release sexually explicit photos or videos of the other partner if they are not paid a sum of money. Sextortion occurs when an extortionist uses sexually explicit photos or videos they have in their possession to extort the individual in the photos. In addition to ransomware, sextortion has become a popular method of extortion in Canada. Ransomware attacks occur when an extortionist hacks into an individuals, companies or municipalities computer system and encrypts the data, refusing to release it until a ransom is paid.
#VICTIM OF EXTORTION CODE#
Section 346(1) of the Criminal Code states that “very] one commits extortion who, without reasonable justification or excuse and with intent to obtain anything, by threats, accusations, menaces or violence induces or attempts to induce any person, whether or not he is the person threatened, accused or menaced or to whom violence is shown, to do anything or cause anything to be done.” This definition includes both successful extortions and unsuccessful attempts to extort.Īn increasingly popular extortion tactic being used in Canada is ransomware attacks. Generally, extortion refers to one individual using threats or coercion to attempt to obtain anything from another individual. The offence of Extortion is defined quite broadly and encompasses a wide array of conduct. These massive increases can be largely attributed to the increase in online extortion tactics such as ransomware attacks, “sextortion” and other cyber crimes. According to Statistics Canada there was a 170% increase in reported incidents of extortion between 20, with a 44% increase between 20 alone. In recent years the number of cases of extortion reported to police has increased exponentially across Canada. Extortion commonly occurs when one individual threatens to expose something about the other individual unless they are paid a sum of money. The offence of extortion occurs when one individual attempts to use threats or coercion to obtain anything from another individual.
