Violent rapist from West Kelowna released on bail again | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Violent rapist from West Kelowna released on bail again

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A West Kelowna man sentenced to five years jail for a violent rape will be let out on bail while he appeals his conviction at Canada's highest court.

In a Jan. 8 decision, B.C. Court of Appeal Justice Mary Saunders ruled that keeping Jeremy Robert Czechowski, born in 1982, behind bars while he waited for the Supreme Court of Canada to look at his case was not in the public's interest. It's not clear yet if he has been released already or where he is residing.

"I recognize that the offences of which the applicant has been convicted are ones of serious interference with a person," Justice Saunders said in the decision. "Yet the seriousness of an offence does not preclude bail."

Czechowski was convicted in May 2018 for a violent rape that took place in February 2016.

The victim, who was heavily intoxicated at the time, had gone back to Czechowski's West Kelowna home in the early hours of the morning. Czechowski then raped her three times while grabbing her around the throat. Eventually, she managed to escape.

READ MORE: Five years for West Kelowna man convicted of rape

He was found guilty of sexual assault causing bodily harm, unlawful confinement, attempting to choke or suffocate or strangle, and uttering threats.

Czechowski was sentenced to five years in jail in April 2019, but he has spent little time incarcerated having been granted bail while appealing his sentence.

In August 2020, while on bail waiting for his first appeal to be heard, Czechowski threatened to kill a woman and kidnap her son while floating down the river in Enderby.

He was charged with uttering threats and Crown prosecutors argued Czechowski's bail should be revoked, putting him back behind bars. However, a judge dismissed the Crown's argument and instead tightened his curfew and increased his cash deposit to $20,000 from the initial $10,000.

Czechowski finally lost at the B.C. Court of Appeal in October last year and began his five-year prison sentence.

However, he's now taken his case to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Crown argued his detention was in the public interesting, pointing out the Enderby incident and the charges of uttering threats in case yet to go to trial, but the Justice said while it is “troubling,” the tightened bail conditions sufficiently met the public safety risk.

“This application therefore comes down to a question of public confidence in the administration of justice,” Justice Saunders said.

Throughout his court appearances, Czechowski had maintained the sex was consensual although both previous courts found the evidence "overwhelmingly established non-consent."

In his argument to have the Supreme Court of Canada look at his case, Czechowski argues the court selectively looked to evidence that supported the victim's case and ignored evidence that could raise a reasonable doubt.

The decision gives no indication of how long it will take before the Supreme Court of Canada look at the case.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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