(UPDATE) Justices hear appeal over Fort St. John veterinarian’s house arrest sentence for sexual assault

Updated, July 15th, 12 p.m.: Previous versions of this story named an incorrect judge and said Sewell was appealing his sentence rather than the BC Prosecution Service. The story has been updated and Energeticcity.ca is happy to set the record straight.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — An appeal hearing to reexamine the sentence handed to a Fort St. John veterinarian convicted of sexual crimes has taken place. 

Veterinarian Justin Sewell, who was sentenced in April, had a hearing in the Court of Appeals today (July 14th). 

Sewell pleaded guilty to sexual assault, unlawfully recording intimate images and voyeurism in 2022.

The BC Prosecution Service decided to appeal Sewell’s sentence in May 2025 after he was sentenced to two years of house arrest. 

On July 14th, Sewell’s defence council appeared at the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in Vancouver.

According to the service, Justices Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten, Christopher Grauer and Lisa Warren reserved judgment for a later date. 

It is not clear when Sewell’s appeal decision will be announced, but a representative at the Court of Appeal said it could take up to six months. 

In June, it was ruled Sewell did not have to register as a sex offender. His sentence of ‘house arrest’ means Sewell is able to continue his veterinary practice at Rivers Animal Hospital.