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Accused acquitted of assault and forcible confinement after wife recants initial statement to police.
The accused was charged with forcibly confining his wife and two children during a house fire, and assaulting his wife the night before.
The Crown's case relied heavily on the wife's initial statement to police, which she recanted at trial, and the video statements of their young children.
The court found the wife's trial testimony, which corroborated the accused's denial of the charges, raised a reasonable doubt.
The court also found the children's testimony to be largely based on what they overheard rather than what they witnessed.
The accused was acquitted on all counts.
The accused was acquitted of assault and forcible confinement after the complainant recanted her police statement.
The accused was charged with forcibly confining his wife and two children, and assaulting his wife, arising from an incident at the family home on August 15, 2016, when a fire broke out.
The Crown's case relied primarily on the wife's statement to police, which she recanted at trial.
The children's testimony was largely based on what they overheard their mother tell their aunt rather than direct observation.
The accused testified that he did not assault his wife and did not prevent anyone from leaving the house.
The court found the accused not guilty on all counts, determining that the evidence raised reasonable doubt and that the wife's trial testimony was more reliable than her police statement.
