Man gets seven years for drug, firearm, sex trade-related crimes
A 37-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in jail on Tuesday, April 2, for firearm, drug and sex trade-related crimes.
Dominic Delisle, who is originally from Quebec, had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of benefitting from the provision of sexual services, along with possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and six firearms offences, and as part of a plea bargain the Crown withdrew charges of human trafficking, drug trafficking and five more gunrelated charges.
Judge Phyliss Harris, who sentenced Delisle, gave him 1,035 days credit for the 575 days he spent in pre-sentence custody, leaving him with 1,520 days, or just over four years, to serve in prison.
Harris said it was “difficult to conceive of actions more reprehensible” than the crimes which Delisle had pleaded guilty to, pointing out his record contains multiple convictions for similar charges, including two convictions for living off the avails of prostitution, three convictions of procuring for the purpose of becoming a prostitute, and multiple firearm and drugrelated offences.
Harris said since Delisle had received a 40-month sentence for his last conviction of benefitting from the provision of sexual services, a longer sentence would be appropriate in this case, giving him a 48-month sentence for that charge. She sentenced him to three years for the firearm charges, saying that after the principle of totality was applied that would work out to six years between that charge and the sex trade-related charge. He was sentenced to an additional year in jail for the cocaine trafficking charge, bringing the total to seven years.
Harris gave him the additional credit for the time served in Her Majesty’s Penitentiary due to the conditions at the prison, referencing medical issues Delisle had in custody, the lack of recreational time and other issues.
“It is recognized that the courts in this province have taken note of the conditions at HMP as being unduly harsh and, in fact, certainly the issues that have been the subject of affidavits filed by defence counsel and staff from HMP have also testified as well about the issues on occasion,” she said.
“There’s no doubt that there are problems with rodents, mould, temperature regulation and lack of recreation, lack of visitation and lockdowns, and those have been issues noted by individuals. And it’s clear that staff shortages have had an impact on the amenities that could be offered, including in particular recreational, visitation. It’s also acknowledged that the facility is a very old facility and has consistent issues.”
Delisle was arrested near Howley in August 2022 as part of Project Badminton, a joint RCMP/ROYAL Newfoundland Constabulary drug trafficking investigation. He and another man were pulled over by police based on information they had received, and police found a loaded handgun, brass knuckles, and a baggie with 11 ounces of cocaine in the car. Delisle was released on bail, but police arrested him again a month later after intercepting conversations that suggested Delisle was profiting from a woman’s income as a sex worker.