SASKATOON — Cory Smockum pleaded guilty on Jan. 6 in Saskatoon Court of King's Bench to attempted murder, nearly two years after the province’s highest court threw out his original conviction.
Smockum was convicted by a jury in 2020, declared a dangerous offender in 2022, and then granted a new trial in 2024 after a successful appeal
The case stems from a brutal 2018 attack in Hanley where Smockum was accused of attacking and sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend in a garage following a quad rally. A jury convicted him of attempted murder but couldn’t reach a verdict on charges of aggravated sexual assault and choking to overcome resistance, resulting in a mistrial on those counts.
In 2022, following the dangerous offender hearing, a judge imposed an indeterminate prison sentence, deeming Smockum a continued threat to public safety.
That designation unravelled in 2024, when the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturned the attempted murder conviction. Defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle argued the original trial was unfair, alleging improper cross-examination by the Crown that prejudiced the jury.
The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal didn’t find the cross-examination traversed the line amounting to a miscarriage of justice, but when the overall effect of this cross-examination was taken together with errors of law, the court concluded that a miscarriage of justice occurred. The appeal court ruled that also relevant to the conclusion that a miscarriage of justice took place, was the breach of Smockum’s right to silence with the police, the reliance on his medical records, for which they were not properly admissible, and the elicitation of bad character evidence.
Following the appeal court’s decision, Smockum remained in custody awaiting a new trial. The Crown could have pursued a new trial, but Tuesday’s guilty plea to the single count of attempted murder ends the case after almost six years.
A sentencing date will be set in Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench.
