Ontario’s top court dismisses appeal by dangerous sex offender Stanley Tippett

Ontario’s top court has dismissed an appeal by Stanley Tippett to have his 2017 conviction for obstructing justice overturned.

Tippett was convicted in 2009 of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, then abandoning her in Courtice, Ont., east of Toronto. He was also declared a dangerous sex offender and an indeterminate sentence was imposed.

However, while awaiting the dangerous offender hearing, Tippett tried to enlist the help of fellow inmate, Morgan Gentle, at the Central East Corrections Centre in Lindsay, to provide false evidence on his behalf.

Tippett wrote a large number of letters to Gentle, asking him to provide false evidence concerning the 2009 convictions.

The originals of the letters were lost at some point during trial, but Tippett was eventually found guilty of obstructing justice and sentenced to 22 months, to be served concurrently to his indeterminate sentence.

The main issue in Tippett’s appeal was whether he wrote the letters, and was based on arguments that the trial judge had mishandled evidence from Gentle.

But a panel of judges with Ontario’s Court of Appeal dismissed Tippett’s appeal and released its reasons for the decision on Tuesday.

In 1999, following the disappearance of 15-year-old Sharmini Anandavel, Toronto police questioned Tippett at least three times. Anandavel’s skeletal remains were found after four months and police said she was murdered. No one was ever charged.

Tippett has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Anandavel’s disappearance.