Quebec’s Court of Appeal rules that the mandatory one-year minimum sentence for distributing child sexual abuse material is unconstitutional in at least some circumstances. The decision comes from a panel of the province’s highest court and addresses how the minimum applies when determining a fit sentence for an offender. The ruling is tied to a case involving a man who pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges including possessing, accessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. The court finds that forcing the one-year minimum can violate constitutional protections and therefore should not be applied universally. As reported by outlets covering the decision, the court’s analysis indicates that the minimum sentence can be unlawful depending on the specific facts of the case, rather than always being mandatory. The decision therefore limits the use of the one-year minimum for distribution charges in Quebec and requires sentencing judges to consider case-specific factors instead of automatically imposing the minimum term.