Court of Queen's Bench - Lethbridge

By Lara Fominoff

Alleged victim testifies in sexual assault, incest trial – *Graphic Content*

Jan 16, 2020 | 4:37 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A nearly three-hour video statement was played in Court of Queen’s Bench Thursday (Jan. 16), describing alleged abuse a young girl endured at the hands of her biological father when she was between the ages of 9 and 13.

The girl, now 15, also took the stand at intervals to answer questions.

The 54-year-old accused can not be name because of a publication ban in place to protect the identity of the victim. The Raymond area man is charged with one count each of sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and incest.

The video statement began with a female RCMP Constable from the Sheldon Kennedy Centre asking the girl, who was 13 years old at the time, about her hobbies. The teen described in detail and with enthusiasm several pastimes she enjoyed.

About 10 minutes into the video, the officer asked the girl why she believed she was there. The girl told her “I was sexually assaulted by my dad for four years since I was nine.”

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The accused sat in the prisoner box, looking down, shaking his head at times.

The girl couldn’t remember exactly when the alleged incidents began, however she described sitting on her father’s lap as he pressed the accelerator in a vehicle while she pretended or learned to drive. He would put his hands inside her pants on “her front part,” and at times would also pull out “his front part.” She asked him what he was doing, but he dismissed her questions.

During the video taped statement, the girl told the officer her father would tell her “if you want this, you have to do this,” and then explain the sex acts he expected her to take part in. He had code words for them including “number one.” Frequently, if she wanted an item like a computer or a gift, he would tell her to take part in specific sexual acts.

She told the officer that at first sexual intercourse would occur in the accused’s truck, and that he kept condoms in the middle console. She said it hurt her, and she would tell him to stop, however he would get angry with her and even hit her. After about a year, the sexual encounters began to occur in the home.

Another incident she described as taking place in the basement of her home, when the father wanted to “wrestle” with her. When that occurred, he would lock the basement door and begin to pinch her private parts. He would not stop until she hit him back.

The teenager said she didn’t want anyone to find out about what was going on because “I was afraid they would be mad at me.” He also said if she told anyone what was going on, she would never be able to see him again. That upset the girl because she said “it was my dad.”

She became concerned at times of becoming pregnant, however the father told her they would go to Calgary if that occurred and “take care of it.”

At least one juror held his head in his hands as parts of the video played.

The trial is expected to continue until the end of next week.