Convictions threaten immigration status
Crown seeks maximum sentence of 18 months in jail for Syrian refugee Akram Al Khalifa, 38, of Fredericton, for sexual assaulting his cab passenger, exposing his penis to her in 2022
A defence lawyer argued for a lenient sentence of less than six months in jail for his Syrian client last week, arguing the stiffer sentence sought by the Crown would see him ousted from Canada.
Akram Al Khalifa, 38, of Hawkins Street in Fredericton, was convicted in October after trial of summary counts of sexual assault and an indecent act.
The victim in the case was a woman who was a passenger in Al Khalifa’s taxi the night of March 12, 2022, and her identity is protected by a court-ordered ban on publication and broadcasting.