Man accused of sexual assault found not guilty

A former Osoyoos man was found not guilty of sexual assault on Friday.

The 65-year-old man, whose name cannot be published to protect the identity of the female complainant, was charged with sexual assault, sexual interference of a person under 14 and touching a young person for a sexual purpose, alleged to have occurred 10 years prior. The complainant said she was 13 years old when the abuse started. 

Defence lawyer Michael Welsh took her testimony apart on Thursday and called her evidence "contradictory." The complainant claimed she was pushed into having sex "countless times" but could not recall specifics except for a handful of encounters.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065 or tweet @shannonquesnel1