After Weapon Finding, Crown to Seek Dangerous Offender Status for Daniel Senecal, Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Toddler: CBC

Judge finds weapon was used

Thomas made the ruling Friday at a hearing in the St. Catharines courthouse. The courtroom was full, and proceedings were broadcast to a second room for an overflow crowd.

The judge said surveillance images showed the weapon in Senecal’s pocket as he entered the girl’s home, and showed him carrying it out after the assault. Thomas also found Duclos-Robins, a childhood friend of Senecal, to be “a very credible and reliable” witness, the judge said.

Guilty pleas and possible sentence

The weapon finding could influence the length of his sentence and whether he receives dangerous offender status. That designation is reserved for Canada’s most violent criminals and sexual predators, and can result in indefinite detention.

Details of the assault

Court heard that Senecal had several drinks on the evening of Aug. 30, 2025. Sometime between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. ET the following day, he broke into the girl’s home and sexually assaulted her.

The child’s mother discovered her severe injuries on the morning of Aug. 31. Thomas said expert testimony described the toddler’s injuries as “potentially life-threatening.”

Community response and safety warning

The case prompted widespread anger across the Niagara Region, along with calls for criminal justice reforms and harsher sentences for sex offenders. Bikers and supporters of a far-right extremist group have held rallies demanding justice for the girl. Police warned against “vigilante actions.” The report also advises anyone in immediate danger, or afraid for their safety or someone else’s, to call 911; crisis lines and local services can be found through the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada database.