A girl who claims she was sexually assaulted by former Canuck Jake Virtanen testified she wished to pursue him a number of months earlier.
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A girl who says she was sexually assaulted by former Vancouver Canuck Jake Virtanen testified Tuesday that a number of months previous to the alleged incident, she was curious about him and wished to pursue him.
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The assertion by the grievance, who can’t be recognized on account of a publication ban, got here throughout her cross-examination by defence lawyer Brock Martland and through the second day of Virtanen’s trial earlier than a jury in B.C. Supreme Courtroom in Vancouver.
The complainant alleges that the previous right-winger sexually assaulted her at his Vancouver resort room on Sept. 26, 2017, whereas he was nonetheless on the NHL workforce’s roster. Virtanen, 25, has pleaded not responsible to the offence.
Courtroom has heard that the 2 initially met on the Calgary Stampede a number of months previous to the encounter on the Westin Bayshore Lodge.
The defence lawyer performed a quick video exhibiting Virtanen, who was intoxicated, vomiting right into a silver bowl being held by the complainant at a Calgary dwelling.
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The complainant testified that she was making an attempt to be good to Virtanen, who was so intoxicated he peed in his pants.
“I’m going to recommend to you that you simply knew he was an NHL participant and you’re getting near him as a result of you have an interest in him,” mentioned Martland. “No,” replied the complainant.
The grievance, who testified that she wasn’t interested in Virtanen earlier within the night, was requested why she turned interested in him the subsequent morning.
“Assist me perceive how that may very well be the case,” mentioned Martland. “It is a man who’s off-the-scale drunk, puking, peeing himself. Some hours later, after sleeping, how does he magically turn out to be engaging within the morning?”
“I talked to him. He was charming to me,” replied the complainant.
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Martland questioned her about kissing the NHL participant that morning.
“He kissed me, however sure I kissed him again,” she replied.
“And also you exchanged numbers,” mentioned Martland.
“Sure,” she replied.
“That’s you pursuing him, isn’t it?” mentioned Martland.
“I don’t consider so,” mentioned the complainant. “Sorry, my mistake. It’s me desirous to get to know him. So sure, I agree that it’s me desirous to pursue him.”
Martland questioned the complainant about her determination to permit Virtanen to choose her up at a buddy’s dwelling within the Vancouver space and drive her to his resort room the place the alleged sexual assault occurred.
The complainant, who was 18 years outdated on the time of the alleged sexual assault, had testified that she knew Virtanen lived in Abbotsford and mentioned that had she identified that he was staying in a resort room, she wouldn’t have gone with him.
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She denied a suggestion by Martland that when she was picked up by Virtanen, after travelling from her residence in a small city in B.C.’s Inside, she hoped that it might flip right into a extra lasting relationship and that he would turn out to be her boyfriend.
In direct examination, she testified that she had a sinking feeling in her abdomen after they arrived on the resort, however Martland prompt that there have been many choices accessible to her apart from her determination to observe him into the resort and to his room, together with taking a stroll on the seawall and going to a restaurant.
“You’re very involved that you simply had been going into a extremely troublesome state of affairs?” mentioned Martland.
“Sure,” mentioned the complainant.
“Why not take steps to forestall your self from getting into?” mentioned Martland.
“As a result of I didn’t know what to do,” mentioned the complainant.
She denied that there was any settlement with Virtanen to have intercourse with him that night on the resort.
“I went together with him as a result of I felt pressured,” she mentioned.
The complainant’s cross-examination is anticipated to proceed Wednesday.
