The accused was charged with 19 offences including sexual assault with a weapon, assault, uttering death threats, criminal harassment, unlawful confinement, and causing the complainant to take a noxious thing.
The Crown sought to admit expert evidence from Dr. Deborah Sinclair regarding the dynamics of domestic violence, traumatic bonding, coercive control, and victim behaviour.
The defence opposed admission on grounds of relevance, necessity, expert qualification, and impartiality.
The court conducted a voir dire to determine admissibility of the expert evidence.
