A Kamloops man was acquitted Tuesday afternoon on serious sex charges after his niece recanted on the witness stand, saying she made up the allegations.
The 22-year-old man cannot be named under a court-ordered publication ban put in place to protect the identity of the complainant. He was facing charges of sexual assault and sexual interference of a person under 16.
He was charged last year after the complainant, who was then 12, went to police alleging she was raped by him repeatedly over a period of 19 months dating back to when she was 10.
The girl gave a lengthy statement to Kamloops Mounties on May 18, 2022, detailing months of sexual abuse. The videotaped statement was the bulk of the Crown’s case.
The girl was called to testify Tuesday as the trial’s second witness. After court finished watching the two-hour statement video, Crown prosecutor Anthony Varesi asked the girl if what she told police was true.
The girl said she made the whole thing up.
Varesi then suggested B.C. Supreme Court Justice Baljinder Kaur Girn acquit the man, which she did.
