North Battleford provincial court, where Brian Bull was convicted of sexual assault causing bodily harm in 2024. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has since raised his sentence to four and a half years. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Kenneth Cheung

BRIAN BULL CASE

Sask. appeal court rules North Battleford sexual assault sentence ‘unfit,’ extends to 4.5 years

Sep 17, 2025 | 4:19 PM

Saskatchewan’s top court has increased the prison term for a man convicted of sexual assault causing bodily harm, ruling his original three-year sentence was too lenient.

In a decision released Sept. 11, the Court of Appeal substituted a sentence of four and a half years for Brian Bull, who was found guilty in 2024 after a trial in North Battleford Provincial Court.

The trial judge found Bull sexually assaulted a woman on July 25, 2021, while she was visiting his home.

The incident involved multiple forms of sexual assault, and attempted assaults against the victim. The ruling said the assaults were “violent, intrusive and degrading,” leaving the complainant with serious physical injuries and long-lasting psychological harm.

“It is particularly aggravating that he persisted in his conduct despite the complainant’s unequivocal physical and vocal resistance,” Justice Naheed Bardai wrote for the court.

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“Additionally, Mr. Bull’s offence was not comprised of a single act; he committed multiple sexual acts over a period of hours to which the complainant did not consent.”

The victim reported flashbacks, suicidal thoughts and ongoing health problems, while her teenage son described being unable to live with her because of her trauma.

“She has been unable to support her 15-year-old son who has complex needs and has seen her scream and cry,” the decision states.

“The complainant’s son described how he is not allowed to touch his mother because it brings on flashbacks and that he can no longer stay in the same house as her as she screams in her sleep.”

Bull, 56, has a prior criminal record that includes convictions for assault, assault with a weapon and a 2014 sexual assault. At sentencing, the Crown sought seven years, while the defence argued for two to three.

Bardai said the three-year sentence was a “demonstrably unfit” departure from established guidance, which sets a three-year starting point for major sexual assaults committed by first-time offenders.

“Mr. Bull is not such an offender,” Bardai wrote, noting his record and the aggravating circumstances.

The court also considered Bull’s Gladue factors, including his upbringing on Little Pine First Nation and the legacy of residential schools.

Bardai wrote that while those circumstances “somewhat reduced” his moral blameworthiness, their role was “relatively small when placed in the context of his life as a whole.”

Gladue factors are legal principles that require courts to consider the unique circumstances of Indigenous offenders when imposing a sentence.

The sentence was varied to 54 months, with all ancillary orders from the trial judge left in place.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com