Trial Of City Man On Sex Charges Continues

A Medicine Hat jury heard continuing testimony from the complainant in the trial of a 52-year-old city man facing charges of sexual interference and assault, extortion along with making child pornography on Thursday.

The trial opened on Monday at the Court of King’s Bench on the allegations which took place between 2018 and 2020 starting when the complainant was 15 years old.

The Owl is not identifying the complainant due to a publication ban protecting their identity nor is identifying the accused due to the nature of the relationship between the two.

The court had previously heard the complainant testify about making a number of sexually explicit videos involving the accused made when they were between 16 and 17 years old.

Thursday saw the complainant walked through the exhibits of the case including photos of the accused’s home, a range of sex toys, a restraint device which secured the user’s neck and wrists along with video recording equipment.

As with Wednesday’s testimony, the court heard the complainant felt obligated to make the explicit videos under the threat of an unknown Internet hacker whom primarily communicated through the accused.

The latest testimony opened with the complainant describing deteriorating mental health including becoming suicidal and engaging in self-harm activities.

“It just took a dive,” the complainant testified regarding her mental health, “it was awful.”

The complainant stated that leading up to their 18th birthday, discussions with the accused of making explicit videos, “was routine at that point. . .but I still lived in fear.”

But she testified to receiving a text message from the hacker through an unidentified number that the accused had settled the matter so that no further videos were required to be made.

In the fall of 2021, the complainant confided in a sibling of what was going on which resulted in a parent learning of the incidents with police notified the following day, according to testimony.

As the complainant was asked to identify photos of the accused’s house starting at the front of the home, they remarked about playing with toys on the stairs.

The court had previously heard the accused first encountered the complainant when they were eight years old.

The jury was excused until Monday when it’s anticipated cross-examination of the complainant will begin.