John Vanderzwaag found not guilty in P.E.I. sexual assault trial
CBC
John Vanderzwaag has been found not guilty of two counts of sexual assault dating back more than 20 years, after a jury in Charlottetown deliberated for more than nine hours.
The jury delivered the verdicts just after 9 p.m. Thursday night. The defendant, the complainants, the lawyers involved and members of the media covering the trial had been called back to the P.E.I. Supreme Court to hear the result of the deliberations.
Before it was read out, the court sheriff told everyone in the courtroom to remain calm and composed, and Justice John Mitchell asked for the verdicts to be greeted with silence.
He had this message for the jury of seven men and five women: "I'm impressed with how hard you worked, the notes you took. On behalf of the court, we thank you for your commitment."
Neither the defence lawyer nor the Crown wanted to comment on the verdicts, and the complainants and their supporters quickly left the courtroom once proceedings had finished.
Vanderzwaag, who also goes by the first name Jan, was charged with two counts of sexual assault dating back more than 20 years.
He was 22 at the time of the events connected to the charges, and the complainants were a teen boy and a young man whose identities are protected by a publication ban.
The complainants testified they were assaulted during a sleepover involving young people who attended the Charlottetown Christian Reformed Church. Vanderzwaag was a church youth group helper at the time.
Vanderzwaag testified that he never touched the younger person, and that he and the older complainant were close friends who had consensual sex on the night the assault allegedly took place.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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