Lethbridge Courthouse

By Connor Gunn

First week concludes in sex assault trial #1 of Sohil Bindra

Nov 12, 2021 | 4:24 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – **Warning – graphic content in this article**

In the first of three trials for Lethbridge’s Sohil Bindra, the opening week has concluded, seeing a handful of witnesses testify to the court.

Bindra, who was 33-years-old when he was first arrested on charges of sexual assault and housebreaking, has had six separate complainants come forward about his alleged sex-related actions towards them spanning over the last four years.

Bindra’s Defense Attorney, Andre Ouelette, applied for a “severance of counts” to Judge Eric Peterson to “reduce prejudice about the various counts.” Therefore, Bindra is getting three separate trials over the course of the next few months.

Over the course of the past week, one of four complainants took to the stand to tell their story of Bindra’s alleged sexual assault along with multiple witnesses recalling their encounters with him.

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It’s alleged that Bindra met two women at a bar on February 7th and 8th of 2020. A short time later, the 18-year-old woman began feeling unwell. The 18-year-old will be referred to as “the alleged victim” from now on.

He reportedly took the two women home with his car, but later returned to the alleged victim’s home and allegedly sexually assaulted her.

Bindra, while driving the friend home, was allegedly being as she called “creepy” by twirling her hair and attempting to kiss her.

The two women had consumed alcohol. When asked whether the alleged victim was drunk that night when she was feeling unwell, her friend says “she wasn’t drunk at all,” but “she could not walk at all” during the night after going to the bar.

The friend did not remember putting the alleged victim’s keys anywhere and she could not find them before leaving the house. She then asked the two people that were in the living room of the house to lock the door behind Bindra and the friend, which the person did.

The friend gave police the description that matched Bindra.

Later in that morning, “the person” that was sleeping on the couch in the living room (the one that locked the door earlier in the night) heard the fumbling of keys and saw the front door open. The man that opened the door was allegedly Bindra.

In the person’s retelling of the story, Bindra went upstairs and they heard the sound of clothes and a belt buckle hitting the floor, and heard the movement of Bindra. Shortly after, Bindra allegedly exited the home “frantically” and in a rush. The person says she “didn’t think anything of it” as she thought Bindra may have been the alleged victim’s boyfriend.

The person gave police the description that matched Bindra.

On February 8, 2020, the alleged victim reported a sexual assault and participated in a “sexual assault kit.”

Physician Dr. Charlotte Haig did an examination of the alleged victim’s vagina. She reported swelling of the “right labia minora.” A fluid sample was taken to look for sperm and anything out of the ordinary. There was no sperm found.

Throughout the night in question, the alleged victim’s cell phone has been missing. By using the “Find my iPhone” app, the phone was tracked to the location of where a white Chrysler 300 was parked, which belonged to Bindra.

On February 10, 2020, Bindra was arrested and charged with sexual assault.

Bindra was released on conditions that he have no contact with the victim or witnesses, not to attend within 200 meters of either woman’s home, and was prohibited from attending any licensed premises where the primary business is the sale of alcohol.

Two weeks later, Bindra was spotted at a bar in downtown Calgary. “The man,” who was previously known to Bindra from the gym, approached Bindra as they have been friendly over the years.

The man asked why Bindra was there because he knew of his conditions regarding establishments that served alcohol. Once the bar owners caught wind of the situation, Bindra was asked to leave and he did so.

Later in the evening, the man saw Bindra again waiting in line to get into a different bar. Bindra and the man had a conversation about his charges and Bindra allegedly became “hostile” as the man recalls saying Bindra was pleading to him that “he wasn’t guilty.”

The man and Bindra went their separate ways and the two of them haven’t seen each other since.

Following the findings of the toxicology report that the alleged victim participated in, it found traces of alcohol as well as cocaine from her urine samples.

Over the course of the trial, the question was asked if Bindra used the drug “gamma-hydroxybutyrate” (GHB) to sedate the alleged victim.

The toxicologist says “GHB may have been ingested,” and followed up by saying the drug rapidly eliminates from the body. You can find it only 12 hours after it’s ingested from the urine sample. The toxicologist also explained based on the alleged victim’s symptoms, “the person may have ingested the drug or something like that.”

“There is no proof of the complainant ingesting GHB,” the toxicologist said.

The trial will continue throughout next week.