Toronto man jailed for drugging friend with ‘date rape drug’: OCRCC Responds
Press release: OCRCC is writing regarding the case concerning Duilio “Nick” Franchino. Earlier this week, he was sentenced to nine months in jail after a jury found him guilty of drugging a close friend with the date rape drug GHB— but acquitted him of sexual assault.
We note in particular, Justice John McMahon’s comments related to the case:
- Due to the jury’s verdict, Justice McMahon said there is no evidence before him that explains why Franchino brought the GHB-laced wine to the complainant’s home and gave it to her to drink.
- While McMahon said drugging someone with a street-level drug of unknown strength leads to a serious risk of harm, he found the crime falls into the less serious category of intending to aggrieve or annoy, rather than endangering life or causing bodily harm.
- McMahon also noted in his ruling that Franchino has no criminal record and has the support of his family, his fiancée and his fiancée’s family.
While we are aware that the decision to acquit was informed by a jury (and not solely Justice McMahon), we write nonetheless to express disappointment. We wish to highlight components of the final ruling that we see as problematic from the perspective of survivors and their allies.
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“Safe Night Out” Bill 124, An Act to amend the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 and the Occupational Health and Safety Act respecting training on sexual violence and harassment: Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) responds
About us The Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) is an equity-seeking network of community-based rape crisis/sexual assault centres across Ontario, committed to leading social transformation that prevents and [...]