Crown gives final remarks in Ruben Manz case as argument to jury concludes

The prosecution has presented their closing remarks against Ruben Manz to a 13-person jury, bringing an end to arguments before their sequestering.

Manz, a regina-based chiropractor, faces a total of seven counts of sexual assault. He was first arrested in April of 2021 after two former clients came forward, alleging they were subjected to "inappropriate and unwanted actions" during their chiropractic treatments.

The alleged incidents occurred over the span of a decade. The other clients came forward after his arrest.

Throughout the nearly four-week trial, all seven complainants and the accused took the stand to give their testimony. Both the Crown and defence each called their own expert witnesses as well.

The defence gave their closing arguments Wednesday. However, because the court could not keep the jury past 4:30 p.m., the Crown’s time was delayed to Thursday.

Crown arguments

Crown prosecutor Jackie Lane argued in her closing Manz intentionally touched the breast of all seven complainants.

“When you do something repeatedly, like touching the right breast and the left breast, it follows logically that you intended to touch both,” Lane said. “How can you accidentally touch both sides of a patient's body in the same way, the same place in their body?”

“How can you accidentally touch the same person in the same way on multiple dates, and claim it was an accident?” she added.

In their remarks, the defence told the jury Manz was, “doing his job.” But the prosecution said the touching of a patient’s breast was not within his practice.

“As a chiropractor, Dr. Manz was a trusted member of the community,” Lane said. “He achieved success. He was an excellent practitioner … until the day he wasn’t.”

During testimony, Lane accused Manz of abusing the trust of his patients. She reiterated those ideas to the jury Thursday.

“Medical consent does not give a doctor permission to do what they please,” she argued. “This is not what these women consented to.”

As part of their closing arguments, defence counsel said the alleged victims’ memories were often, “inconsistent.”

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Lane challenged the notion.

“To bring allegations against a doctor requires bravery,” she said. “A number of these women doubted themselves for having not coming forward [sooner] to prevent the harm of others.”

“But the evidence is crystal clear, none of these women have any doubt what happened to them,” Lane added.

The prosecution submitted to the jury they believe the seven women who have come forward against Manz.

“Compare the detail given to the court by the complainants, versus that provided by Dr. Manz,” Lane said. “And when you go back into that room to deliberate, I want you to ask yourself, ‘why [he] would have a present memory of [the seven complainants] … and their bodies.”

Jury instructions

Thirteen jurors have heard this case through the nearly four weeks of proceedings.

Presiding judge, Justice Janet McMurtry thanked each member for their time and attention over the near month-long trial.

She then began giving her final instructions to the jury ahead of their deliberations.

“The Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt [Dr. Manz’s] guilt,” Justice McMurtry reminded the jury. “It is your duty to decide whether the Crown has proved [it] beyond a reasonable doubt.”

In an effort to allow the jury a full day to deliberate, Justice McMurtry did not go through the entirety of her instructions.

She will complete her charge to the jury Friday morning and sequester the jury after.

Before they are sequestered, one member will be selected at random to be removed and 12 will make that decision.

The jury must come to a unanimous verdict for each charge before they will be released.