A Manitoba judge acquitted a priest charged with assaulting a residential school student more than fifty years ago. indicating that she believes an assault occurred but could not identify the perpetrator beyond a reasonable doubt.
Thursday in a Winnipeg courtroom, Victoria McIntosh, accompanied by approximately a dozen supporters, grimaced and had tears in her eyes as Arthur Masse, 93, was found not guilty of indecent assault.
Manitoba Victim Testified
McIntosh clutched a jacket that her grandmother had stitched for her as a child but which she was not permitted to bring to the residential school.
McIntosh testified earlier this month that Masse assaulted her in a bathroom at the Fort Alexander Residential School located north of Winnipeg when she was nine or ten years old, between 1968 and 1970.
The incident allegedly took place when McIntosh was a student there between those years. After hearing the Native American woman try to recall the events of that day, many years after the fact, Grammond testified that she found McIntosh to be a credible witness.
Canadian Press Usually Don’t Identify Complainants
McIntosh did not embellish her evidence in any way. I believe the complainant was assaulted in a residential school bathroom in the manner she described or one very similar to it”, Grammond said.
Grammond added that McIntosh’s identification of Masse was not “sufficiently credible” to convince her that he was the perpetrator of the assault.
Grammond said, “On the basis of the totality of the evidence, I have a reasonable doubt as to whether the accused assaulted the complainant.”
however, McIntosh stated that she wanted to speak publicly, and no publication ban was issued in response to her request.
A judge presided over a two-day, judge-only trial at the beginning of this month. Only McIntosh and Masse testified as witnesses.
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