Ontario judge accepts joint 10½-year sentence for drug dealer who terrorized two women
Justice Craig Brannagan called the agreed sentence “very lenient” but accepted a joint 10.5-year term for Justin Anderson after a high court test found it not to bring the justice system into disrepute.
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By Torontoer Staff
An Ontario judge has accepted a joint recommendation that Justin Anderson receive 10 and a half years in prison for a string of violent and drug-related offences, saying the sentence was generous but not so unreasonable that it would undermine public confidence in the justice system.
The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to nine indictable counts in the Ontario Court of Justice, including forcibly confining two women, pointing a firearm, possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking, breaching a weapons prohibition order, and possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number.
Judge says joint recommendation is 'very lenient' but binds decision
Justice Craig Brannagan wrote that he regarded the agreed sentence as ‘‘very lenient’’ given the facts and Anderson’s record, but that he was constrained by legal precedent and the high threshold for departing from joint sentencing submissions.
I am not free to interfere on the basis that I may have a different view of what the sentence could or should be. I may only interfere where the proposed sentence would bring the administration of justice into disrepute or is otherwise contrary to the public interest.
Justice Craig Brannagan
Brannagan acknowledged that joint recommendations from Crown and defence are important to the operation of the criminal justice system, and that while trial judges may depart from them, the test for doing so is ‘‘undeniably high.’’ He concluded the recommended term did not cross the line that would require refusal.
Summary of the offences and police evidence
Court records describe two distinct episodes in late May and early June 2024 in which Anderson used firearms and intimidation to control two women he encountered while travelling to sell drugs across Ontario.
In May 2024, a woman identified in court documents as R.C. met Anderson in Belleville. He forced her to travel with him for about a week while he conducted drug-trafficking activity. Police say Anderson repeatedly flashed a handgun at R.C. to intimidate and control her. She escaped in Vaughan and returned safely to Belleville by train after contacting police.
On June 1, 2024, a separate incident in Barrie involved a woman identified as T.J. After an argument in a residence led to an accusation that T.J. had provided information to police, officers say Anderson produced a handgun and pointed it at her repeatedly, holding her at gunpoint for about an hour and threatening sexual violence. T.J. fled and hid until located by police several hours later.
- Police arrested Anderson at his parked BMW and found a loaded CZ 9 mm handgun in his waistband.
- A satchel contained 429 g of methamphetamine, 64 g of cocaine, 19 g of fentanyl, 948 oxycodone pills, 12 hydromorphone pills and 60 pills of a synthetic cannabinoid, plus $1,185 and a small scale.
- A break-action rifle with a defaced serial number was located in the vehicle trunk.
Offender background and court findings on risk
Brannagan reviewed Anderson’s lengthy criminal record, which the decision says runs from 2015 through 2025 and includes more than 30 convictions for offences such as breaches of court orders, assaults, weapons possession and an aggravated assault. The pre-sentence report described a childhood exposed to criminal activity and drug use, ongoing substance addiction, and entrenched ties to drug and gun networks.
Mr. Anderson demonstrates a marked indifference for the lives or safety of others. He is deeply entrenched in the criminal lifestyle. In my view, he fits the description of a true criminal outlaw.
Justice Craig Brannagan
The judge adopted the pre-sentence author’s assessment that Anderson is at high risk to reoffend. Brannagan also characterised Anderson’s trafficking role as profit-driven and destructive, noting the quantity of controlled substances seized and describing him as an ‘‘effectively a travelling pharmacy.’’
Legal context and sentencing mechanics
Both Crown and defence lawyers recommended the 10.5-year sentence. Brannagan emphasised that while joint submissions serve an important role in conserving court resources and promoting certainty, a judge must refuse them when they would cause an informed public to view the sentence as a breakdown in the criminal justice system. He concluded that standard was not met in this case.
Anderson faced maximum penalties that, for some offences considered individually, could have resulted in terms exceeding the joint recommendation. The judge nevertheless accepted the agreed disposition and imposed the combined sentence accordingly.
Both women declined to participate in the sentencing process, the decision notes. Brannagan found their harm to be ‘‘apparent and undisputable’’ and recorded the seriousness of the threats and confinement they experienced.
Implications and next steps
The case underlines the deference courts give to joint sentencing submissions, and the narrow circumstances in which judges will override them. It also highlights ongoing challenges in addressing offenders with entrenched criminal ties, active addictions and high risk of reoffending.
Anderson will serve the term imposed by the Ontario Court of Justice. The decision, dated Dec. 11, 2025, remains a recent example of how legal standards governing sentencing interact with judicial discretion.
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