Woman testifies in sex assault trial of Edmonton man

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The trial of an Edmonton man accused of sexual assault started Monday in Court of King’s Bench.

Jurors heard testimony from the alleged victim, who cannot be identified.

In a brief opening statement, Crown prosecutor Holly Strohschein told the jury that Darren Ewanyk assaulted the alleged victim on the evening of May 27, 2022, while the two were at Ewanyk’s walk-up bachelor apartment.

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The woman, who said she had in previous years been in a romantic relationship with Ewanyk, said she went to his apartment around 7:30 p.m. to watch a show and talk, and that he poured them each a drink.

“After a little bit, our conversation turned a little bit emotional. We were discussing our past relationship,” she said.

“He was talking about my confidence, and he was trying to convince me to be more confident and how I seemed less confident, and that I should take my clothes off and that taking my clothes off is just something I needed to do to get my confidence back,” she said.

She told the court she repeatedly told him she wasn’t comfortable and was not interested in getting naked.

She said the defendant took his own clothes off.

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“He was saying, ‘Look, it’s not that big of a deal.’ I passed him a blanket,” she said.

“He made comments saying, like, ‘Oh, now this is awkward.’”

The pressure continued, she said, and he straddled her lap.

“I was squirming. I was just uncomfortable. I was trying to move away, but I couldn’t,” she said, telling the jury he reached over and took her sweater off, then mocked her sports bra and peeled it off as well.

She said she continued to tell him she was uncomfortable and tried to cover her breasts.

“He was on top of me, and then he just kept telling me to relax,” she said.

She was uncomfortable, emotional and teary-eyed, she said.

He said they needed more drinks, although she hadn’t finished hers.

“He inserted his hand inside me, I was crying, it was quite forceful. I said, ‘What are you doing and why are you hurting me.’ I said, ‘Be gentle,’” she said.

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She recalled crawling back on the couch, trying to get away from him.

He applied pressure to her pelvis and she started to cry

“Why are you doing this?” she said.

“He just continued. He was telling me, ‘This is your G-spot and this feels good,’” he said.

“I was crying even louder, crawling forward to try and get away.

“His fingers were inside me and it hurt so bad I couldn’t tell what he was touching,” she said.

“Everything just hurt at that point.”

She said she continued to say, ‘Stop, why are you hurting me?’

As she collected herself, she noticed bleeding.

The defendant followed her naked into the apartment hallway, she said, and he told her they hadn’t had sex, just fooled around.

The woman said she was sore and bruised and bleeding. Pictures of bruising were admitted into evidence.

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The next day, she went to the emergency room and was examined by a nurse trained in administering exams for traces of assault.

After that, she reported the incident to the police.

Texts sent between the defendant — who operates an online addiction counselling service and plays team sports — and the woman sent after the encounter were admitted into evidence.

“I wanted him to know that I was not OK and that I did not consent to that. I just felt like I had to say something,” she said.

“Because what he did was wrong. It affected me. I wanted him to know that.”

His response was read to the jurors.

“I honestly can’t apologize enough, and I’m so sad I broke your trust when you needed it most,” he texted back, according to the court record.

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Cross-examination continues Tuesday in Justice George R. Fraser’s Court of King’s Bench. The trial is expected to conclude within the week.

Ewanyk is represented by defence lawyer Matt Ackerman.

jcarmichael@postmedia.com

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