Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Supreme Court To Rule On Use Of Sexual History In Edmonton Assault Trial

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Jun, 2019 11:59 PM

    OTTAWA — A Supreme Court decision due this morning could clarify the law on how much of the history between a complainant and a person accused in a sexual-assault case can be brought into court.

     

    Patrick John Goldfinch was charged in 2014 with assaulting a woman he once lived with.


    He was acquitted at his trial in Edmonton after a jury heard evidence that he and the alleged victim still had a "friends-with-benefits" relationship.


    A complainant's sexual history can't ordinarily be used as evidence unless it's directly relevant to the charge.


    But in this case, the judge allowed it, worried that jurors would have thought the relationship was platonic if they didn't know about Goldfinch's history with the woman.


    Alberta's Court of Appeal said last year that could have been avoided without specifically talking about their sexual history, and now the Supreme Court is to make a final decision.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Chandrayaan-2, India’s Second Moon Mission, To Be Launched On July 15

    Chandrayaan-2, India’s Second Moon Mission, To Be Launched On July 15
    India's second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, would be launched on July 15, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan announced on Wednesday.

    Chandrayaan-2, India’s Second Moon Mission, To Be Launched On July 15

    One Man Critically Hurt, Another In Custody When Man Hit By Bus In Burnaby, B.C.

    RCMP in Burnaby, B.C., are trying to unravel what led to a man being hit and critically injured by a transit bus.

    One Man Critically Hurt, Another In Custody When Man Hit By Bus In Burnaby, B.C.

    First Nations Push For Massive Conservation Area In Northern British Columbia

    First Nations Push For Massive Conservation Area In Northern British Columbia
    The proposal would cover the ancestral areas of three Kaska Dena First Nations and would be larger than Vancouver Island, taking up a massive section of north-central B.C.

    First Nations Push For Massive Conservation Area In Northern British Columbia

    3 South Asian Suspects Wanted After Teen Assaulted In The Middle Of Traffic In Surrey

    Surrey RCMP is advising the public of an assault investigation and requesting their assistance to identify three suspects.

    3 South Asian Suspects Wanted After Teen Assaulted In The Middle Of Traffic In Surrey

    Ontario Court Upholds Ruling To Allow Sexual Activity Evidence In Boyle Case

    Boyle, 35, has pleaded not guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice to offences against Caitlan Coleman, 33, including assault, sexual assault and unlawful confinement.

    Ontario Court Upholds Ruling To Allow Sexual Activity Evidence In Boyle Case

    Liberals Prepare To Spend $50M On Social-Finance Plan, But No Strategy For Now

    The Liberals are taking their first $50-million step in a plan to finance experimental ways to deliver social services.

    Liberals Prepare To Spend $50M On Social-Finance Plan, But No Strategy For Now