Defence strategy · Scarborough

Criminal Lawyer in Scarborough

Bail hearings, impaired driving, assault and domestic charges, and drug and property offences for Scarborough clients — with a clear account of what you are facing before any decision is made.

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The defence brief

A charge is an allegation. What happens next is a sequence of decisions.

Being charged is not the same as being convicted, and the period between the two is where most of the real work happens. We act for people facing charges in the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice — from the bail hearing and the conditions that follow, through disclosure, Crown and judicial pre-trials, to resolution or trial. The first job is to make sure you understand what you are actually facing, what the Crown has to prove, and what each available route would cost you in time, money, and consequence.

In Scarborough

Criminal Law in Scarborough.

Most Scarborough criminal matters are heard at the Ontario Court of Justice at 1911 Eglinton Avenue East, which handles criminal and family matters for the east end of Toronto. Serious indictable charges can proceed to the Superior Court of Justice downtown, but the first appearances, bail, and the great majority of resolutions happen at Eglinton. Scarborough is part of the City of Toronto for court purposes, so the Toronto Crown policies apply — including the dedicated protocol for domestic matters, which affects how quickly conditions are imposed and how a resolution can be approached. Knowing which counter you are standing at on the first date sounds trivial and is not: the bail plan, the surety, and the release conditions are usually settled in that first week.

Matter index

What we examine, and why it matters.

The first decision in the case

Bail & release conditions

Police may release you at the station on an undertaking, or hold you for a bail hearing before a justice. Where a hearing is held, the court decides whether you are released and on what terms — a surety, a deposit, a curfew, a residence requirement, or no contact with named people. Those conditions govern your life for months, and a variation later is a separate application. We prepare the release plan, brief the proposed surety, and argue for terms you can realistically live with.

When to call

Immediately after an arrest, before a bail hearing, when a proposed surety is unsure what they are agreeing to, or when an existing condition has become impossible to comply with.

Documents to gather

The release document, undertaking, or bail order
Proof of address, employment, and income
Contact details for a proposed surety
Any prior orders, probation terms, or peace bonds

Documents to gather

The release document, undertaking, or bail order
Proof of address, employment, and income
Contact details for a proposed surety
Any prior orders, probation terms, or peace bonds

Questions we assess

Will there be a bail hearing, or a release from the station?
Who can realistically act as surety?
Which conditions will actually affect work, housing, or family?
Can a condition be varied later, and how?

Questions we assess

Will there be a bail hearing, or a release from the station?
Who can realistically act as surety?
Which conditions will actually affect work, housing, or family?
Can a condition be varied later, and how?

Decision pathway

From first question to an actionable record.

Release

We address custody first — the bail hearing or station release, the surety, and the conditions you will have to live under while the case runs.

Disclosure

We obtain the Crown's disclosure and review it with you in full, so the case is assessed on the evidence rather than on the allegation.

Assess

We identify what the Crown must prove, where the case is weak, which Charter or procedural issues are real, and what each route would cost you.

Negotiate

We put your position to the Crown at a pre-trial and test what resolutions are available, including outcomes that avoid a conviction where the circumstances allow.

Trial

Where the case should be tried, we set the election and mode of trial, prepare the applications and cross-examinations, and argue it.

When clients call

The legal question usually arrives inside a business problem.

Hypothetical situation

Released on conditions that do not work

A curfew conflicts with shift work, or a residence condition means being unable to go home, and breaching the term would itself be a new charge.

Our focus: We identify which conditions are genuinely unworkable, approach the Crown on consent where possible, and bring a variation application where it is not.

Hypothetical situation

A first charge, and a career at stake

No prior record, but the client holds a licence, a security clearance, or a job with a vulnerable-sector check, and a conviction would end it.

Our focus: We assess the strength of the Crown's case and the resolutions that avoid a conviction — a withdrawal, a peace bond, or a discharge — and put the personal circumstances forward properly.

Hypothetical situation

Charged while not a Canadian citizen

A permanent resident or foreign national is charged, and the immigration consequences of a conviction may be more serious than the sentence itself.

Our focus: We factor inadmissibility into the defence from the outset, because the difference between two apparently similar outcomes can decide whether someone can remain in Canada.

Prepare the file

Bring the record, not just the problem.

A complete first review makes the consultation more useful. Organize what you have; do not delay getting advice because one document is missing.

01The charge documents, release order, and any conditions
02Every court date you have been given
03Your account of the incident, written down while it is fresh
04Names and contact details for any witnesses
05Messages, photographs, or recordings from the relevant period
06Any prior record, probation order, or peace bond
07Immigration status, licences, and clearances that a conviction would affect

Risks to identify early

Talking to police

There is a right to remain silent and a right to counsel. An explanation given to sound cooperative becomes evidence, and it is rarely possible to undo it later. Get advice before any statement or interview.

Breaching a condition is a new charge

Failing to comply with a release condition can be prosecuted separately from the original allegation, and it makes release harder the next time. A condition that has become impossible should be varied, not quietly ignored.

The consequences are wider than the sentence

A criminal record can affect employment, professional licensing, volunteering, travel to the United States, and — for anyone who is not a Canadian citizen — immigration status. These should shape the strategy from the start, not be discovered at sentencing.

Missing a court date

Failing to attend can result in a warrant and an additional charge. If a date cannot be met, it has to be dealt with in advance through counsel rather than after the fact.

Last reviewed: September 2026This page provides general legal information, not advice for a specific matter. Legal rights and deadlines depend on the facts.

What we do

Criminal Lawyer matters we handle

Bail hearingsRelease plans, sureties, and varying conditions that do not work

Impaired driving & over 80Roadside demands, breath samples, and the separate licence suspension

Assault & domestic chargesNo-contact terms, residence conditions, and parallel family matters

Drug & weapon offencesSearch, detention, and Charter issues arising from how evidence was obtained

Theft, fraud & property offencesEmployment and licensing consequences alongside the charge

Breach of conditionsFailure to comply and failure to attend court

In their words

Defended, and heard.

“The team here is so nice! They understood my needs and made me feel heard. I will definitely come back if I am in need of legal help again.”

Jeslyn T. · Google review

“Had a great experience with Telesh Law Firm. Really knowledgeable — would totally recommend.”

Sarina · Google review

Common questions

Answers, in plain language.

Ordinarily the Ontario Court of Justice at 1911 Eglinton Avenue East, which serves the east end of Toronto for criminal matters. More serious indictable charges can be elected or transferred into the Superior Court of Justice downtown at 361 University Avenue, but bail and first appearances start at Eglinton.

Yes. A release from the station means the case is proceeding, not that it is resolved — you are under conditions, you have a court date, and the Crown is preparing disclosure. The period before the first appearance is when the release conditions can most easily be addressed and the case properly assessed.

A surety pledges an amount of money and takes on responsibility for supervising you in the community and reporting a breach. They rarely deposit the money up front, but they can be called on to pay it if conditions are not followed. Anyone considering it should understand that obligation before the hearing, not at it.

It can. A conviction creates a criminal record, and some police record checks disclose non-conviction information as well, depending on the type of check. Because the consequences reach employment, licensing, travel, and immigration status, they are worth identifying at the start of the case rather than at sentencing.

Speak with counsel

Book a consultation.

Book a consultation→416 · 639 · 0887

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