Regina chiropractor found guilty on one charge of sexual assault, acquitted on five others

After being sequestered for more than 57 hours, a 12-person jury has found Regina chiropractor Ruben Manz guilty of one count of sexual assault.

Facing a total of seven charges, the jury found Manz not guilty of five charges but was unable to come to a unanimous decision for the remaining count.

The jury's decision came at around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday.

First arrested in April of 2021, Manz faced allegations stemming from incidents spanning more than a decade from seven former clients he provided chiropractic treatment.

"We are pleased justice has been done," Crown prosecutor Jackie Lane told reporters after the verdict was handed down Sunday night. "[There] was a very diligent hardworking jury here who had strong evidence to deal with."

The victim related to the guilty verdict was the woman who first brought the complaint to police in spring 2021.

The names of each complainant are protected by a publication ban.

The lengthy deliberations were indicative of the grueling month-long trial which began back on Nov. 4.

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The jury was sequestered around 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon after being given an extensive review of the case by Justice Janet McMurtry.

A unanimous verdict was required for each of the seven counts separately before sequestering could end and the jury’s decisions made public.

"We didn’t expect a fast result," Lane said. "Justice takes time."

Defence counsel declined comment following the verdicts.

The jury retired at 9 p.m. Friday evening, bringing a brief pause to discussion until Saturday morning when deliberations continued.

The same happened Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Each member remained sequestered overnight away from electronic devices, news or social media and the general public.

Retrial for one charge

The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on one count in relation to "Complainant Four."

The outcome has forced the court to call a mistrial.

Lane could not comment extensively on the matter but said, "[It] has been adjourned to the next sitting of the Court of Kings bench pretrial."

During her testimony on Nov. 7, the complainant alleged having her breasts touched by Manz during treatment "at least five or six times."

Manz was not in custody for the duration of this trial. He remains released with several conditions in place including a non-contact order with all the listed complainants and he is not allowed to leave the province.

Sentencing for the one guilty count and when the remaining charge is to be retried will be determined at a later date.