Regina man denies all allegations of sexual assault against 12-year-old
The sixth day of trial for a man accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old continued at Court of Queen’s Bench Monday.
Christopher Cameron Duke is accused of sexually assaulting the child, who was known to him, on July 31, 2019.
Any information about the alleged victim and witnesses that would identify them is subject to a publication ban.
Duke took the stand for the first time in court Monday morning. When asked about the sexual assault allegations the alleged victim talked about in their testimony, Duke maintained his innocence.
Duke spoke of the timeline of events during the night of the alleged assault, telling a very different story than those presented by the crown’s witnesses.
He alleged he was playing with the alleged victim the night of the incident, saying the alleged victim voluntarily went into the room he was in and was laughing with him.
During the alleged victim's testimony last week, they said Duke threw them on a bed and assaulted them while he was standing up. Duke refuted this in his testimony saying on the night of the incident he was standing and tickling the complainant and when the other sibling came into the room and began tickling them as well.
During cross-examination, crown prosecutor Leona Andrews argued Duke had sexually assaulted the alleged victim on July 31, 2019, and countless other times
Duke has pleaded not guilty.
Monday afternoon, defence attorney Chris MacLeod called Forensic DNA consultant, Lisa Mokleby to the stand.
Mokleby went over the lab results from the alleged victims sexual assault kit.
She agreed with those who examined the lab results but cautioned the Y-STR test, which ignores the presence of female DNA and focuses entirely on male DNA. The test doesn’t prove that the male DNA found was Dukes.
The crown argued that Duke couldn’t be eliminated as a suspected match for the test either.
The case has now been adjourned until April 4, when both the crown and defence will give their final arguments to the judge
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.