STANDARD FIELD SOBRIETY TEST OFFICERS DO NOT NEED TO BE QUALIFIED AS EXPERTS

Ms. Parada’s appeal reviewed the issue of whether the evidence of a peace officer relating to standard field sobriety tests constitutes expert opinion evidence necessitating a Mohan voir dire (see R. v. Mohan, 1994 CanLII 80 (SCC).  The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal’s decision concluded that the peace officer’s evidence is not expert evidence that requires a Mohan voir dire: R. v. Parada, 2016 SKCA 102.  For more details, the trial judgment link is here: R. v. Parada, 2014 SKPC 116, and the summary conviction judgment link is here: R. v. Parada, 2015 SKQB 380.