Opinion ID: 1917869
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Failure to be Represented by Counsel at Time of Sentence.

Text: Although defendant had been represented by counsel at time of arraignment on the charges of armed robbery and theft he thereafter appeared without counsel when sentenced on those charges and also the prior charge of operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent. The record is silent as to why Mr. Lent was not present or whether he still represented defendant. The trial court made no inquiry as to this and did not advise defendant of his right, if an indigent, to have counsel appointed at public expense. Defendant asserts that he was never properly advised of his right to counsel at time of sentencing and that he did not intelligently waive this right. On this record we cannot assume that there was any intelligent waiver by defendant of his right to be represented by counsel at time of sentencing. There is a conflict of authorities on the question of whether the presence of counsel for an accused at time of sentencing is necessary to the validity of the proceedings. See Annotation, Absence of counsel for accused at time of sentence as requiring vacation thereof or other relief, 20 A. L. R. (2d) 1240. As pointed out by the brief of the attorney general, a number of cases have held that no constitutional right of an accused is violated by sentencing without counsel being present when there has been no showing that unfairness or harm resulted. Cases so holding are Kent v. Sanford (5th Cir. 1941), 121 Fed. (2d) 216, certiorari denied 315 U. S. 799, 62 Sup. Ct. 622, 86 L. Ed. 1200; Janney v. United States (4th Cir. 1955), 227 Fed. (2d) 105; Willis v. Hunter (10th Cir. 1948), 166 Fed. (2d) 721, certiorari denied 334 U. S. 848, 68 Sup. Ct. 1499, 92 L. Ed. 1772; State v. Farnsworth (1962), 13 Utah (2d) 103, 368 Pac. (2d) 914. On the other hand, the United States supreme court has now adopted the rule that an accused has a constitutional right to be represented by counsel at any critical stage of the criminal proceeding against him. White v. Maryland (1963), 373 U. S. 59, 83 Sup. Ct. 1050, 10 L. Ed. (2d) 193; Hamilton v. Alabama, supra . We consider that sentencing is a critical stage of a criminal prosecution. In James v. State (1964), 24 Wis. (2d) 467, 473, 129 N. W. (2d) 227, we stated: However, we cannot look upon sentencing as some insignificant and collateral part of the criminal process. The determination of the sentence, whether it be long or short, is part of the judicial process and is perhaps the most vital part and certainly the end result of the criminal process so far as the accused is concerned. See also Meyer v. State (1964), 25 Wis. (2d) 418, 423, 130 N. W. (2d) 848. The most-recent case which has come to our attention on this issue is Commonwealth ex rel. Remeriez v. Maroney (1964), 415 Pa. 534, 204 Atl. (2d) 450. In that case petitioner was sentenced to imprisonment after revocation of a prior suspended sentence and probation. The record disclosed that the trial court made no inquiry concerning counsel and there was no waiver of counsel by petitioner. The Pennsylvania supreme court held that sentencing is a critical stage in the proceeding against an accused, and stated (p. 536): For the sentencing to be constitutionally acceptable the accused is entitled to be represented by counsel. The New York appellate division reached the same conclusion in People v. Callahan (1963), 19 App. Div. (2d) 585, 240 N. Y. Supp. (2d) 460, resting its decision upon Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), 372 U. S. 335, 83 Sup. Ct. 792, 9 L. Ed. (2d) 799. The failure of the trial court to advise defendant of his right to counsel at time of sentencing, together with the failure of the record to show any waiver of this right, requires reversal of the order appealed from with directions to the county court to set aside the three sentences and order the defendant returned from the state prison for sentencing.