Judge finds man not guilty of sexual assault of minor in Yellowknife

WARNING: This article contains details of sexual abuse and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

A Northwest Territories Supreme Court judge has found a man not guilty of sexually assaulting an underage teenager in Yellowknife.

Justice Andrew Mahar delivered his verdict in Yellowknife on Friday afternoon.

John Robson, 60, and Alicia Moran, 30, both faced charges involving the 15-year-old victim. It's alleged that Moran arranged for Robson to have sex with the teen in exchange for money.

Robson was charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of obtaining sex from someone under 18. Before the trial began Tuesday, Moran pleaded guilty to selling sex provided by someone under 18. She then testified against Robson.

On Thursday, Robson told the court he was not aware the teen was underage.

Mahar found Robson guilty of the lesser, related offence of paying for sex.

He sentenced Robson to pay $1,500 for each count of paying for sex, and pay a victim surcharge of $900, totalling $3,900, to be paid within 120 days.

Robson must also have no contact with Moran and the complainant.

Mahar said he found both witnesses credible, with Robson being clearer about the sequence of events than the complainant.

He noted the burden of proof remained with the Crown to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Robson did not take adequate steps to determine the complainant's age.

Mahar also said the CCTV footage and video statements recorded by the RCMP showed the complainant to be tall, with a mature haircut and a deep adult voice. He said there was nothing inconsistent with her being 19, and nothing about her behaviour than Robson could have seen differently than an adult.

Evan McIntyre, Robson's lawyer, said his client is happy with the verdict and believes it was the proper verdict based on the circumstances of the case.

In a victim impact statement read to the court through a text message, the now-17-year-old said the events affected her life mentally and physically and she had continuous flashbacks pushing her to harm herself.

She also said she doesn't remember having a good night's sleep for a long time and she spent the past two years trying not to be seen publicly, which has affected her grades.

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.