Law360 Canada ( December 19, 2025, 9:32 AM EST) -- Appeal by Crown from acquittal of respondent on firearms charges. A confidential informant told police that the respondent knew who was behind his fiancée’s murder and was planning to take matters into his own hands. The police believed that the respondent would have relevant information on his cell phone. They obtained a general warrant to detain him to search for his phone. The warrant authorized police to detain the respondent and search his person and immediate surroundings for a cellular device associated with a specific phone number, believed to contain information relevant to the murder of his fiancée. During the search, police seized three phones and discovered two loaded handguns in a hidden compartment of the vehicle. The application judge found that the search exceeded the scope of the warrant and violated the respondent’s rights under s. 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter). The application judge excluded the firearms under s. 24(2) of the Charter, concluding that the breach was serious and had a significant impact on the respondent’s privacy interests, particularly given his status as a victim in the murder investigation. The Crown argued that the warrant permitted seizure of multiple phones and that the hidden compartment was within the surrounding area authorized by the warrant. The Crown also challenged the exclusion of the firearms....