Paxton appeals conviction, sentence for torture
A man who savagely tortured his roommate and was recently declared a dangerous offender is appealing his conviction and sentence.
Dustin Paxton was convicted of aggravated assault and sexual assault in 2012 in the prolonged abuse of his male roommate and business partner, who sustained a severe brain injury.
Paxton was declared a dangerous offender in December, a designation that carries an indefinite prison sentence.
In a handwritten notice of appeal filed Dec. 23, Paxton lists 27 grounds for appeal — 15 appealing the conviction and 12 appealing the sentence.
In neatly handwritten script, listed numerically, Paxton writes that Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Sheilah Martin demonstrated bias throughout the trial, misapprehended the evidence and erred by failing to find a detective improperly interviewed witnesses.
The 12 reasons Paxton lists for the sentence appeal include that the judge misapprehended and misunderstood the testimony of experts, confused the evidence between the Crown and defence experts, and relied on materials that were not in evidence.
When Paxton was labelled a dangerous offender two weeks ago, Martin said the indefinite prison sentence that comes with the designation was the only thing that could adequately protect the public.
Paxton was convicted of torturing his roommate over an 18-month period beginning in 2008. The abuse came to light when Paxton dropped off the victim, who was emaciated and near death, at a Regina hospital.