The fate of a man accused of sexually assaulting a young relative almost 20 years ago is now in the hands of Justice Laurie Lacelle after the lawyers for the defence and Crown made their final arguments in court on Thursday.
Defence lawyer Michael Spratt argued the entirety of the Crown’s case against his client – who cannot be identified because of a publication ban – is based on the testimony of the alleged victim of the case.
The complainant’s story, said Spratt, has not been corroborated in any way by other witnesses and was riddled with discrepancies and evidence of ulterior motives.
“This is not the kind of evidence that is safe in any way to found a conviction on,” Spratt told Justice Lacelle. “The court should be seriously concerned about the credibility and reliability of his evidence, and it should raise a doubt in your mind.”
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