Richard Mantha, 59, is accused of drugging and raping seven women. Mantha's trial got underway Friday after a judge denied his request to have separate trials for each complainant.
Richard Mantha, 60, is accused of drugging and raping seven women. Mantha's trial got underway in January after a judge denied his request to have separate trials for each complainant. The trial was interrupted when Mantha fired his lawyers. An accused serial rapist who fired his lawyers mid-trial has new counsel and will not require the proceedings to continue in French, a judge heard Friday.The trial began in January. Over the course of a week-and-a-half, the judge heard from four women.
Mantha's trial had been conducted partly in French. Everything besides witness testimony took place in French.Court heard that defence lawyer Marc Crarer is in the process of being retained through Legal Aid.The case is back in court in two weeks so that trial continuation dates can be set.Mantha's charges include sexual assault with a gun, sexual assault with a knife, kidnapping, forcible confinement and administering noxious substances.
The charges are connected to allegations Mantha drugged and raped vulnerable women who, at the time, struggled with addiction and/or were involved in Calgary's sex trade.The women called as witnesses throughout the trial in January delivered powerful testimony, telling the judge that Mantha drugged and sexually assaulted them.
One of the women told the court that she discovered she was sexually assaulted after a friend sent a video clip that she said showed her being raped for three hours and 40 minutes.Meghan Grant is a justice affairs reporter. She has been covering courts, crime and stories of police accountability in southern Alberta for more than a decade. Send Meghan a story tip at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter.
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