Sexual assault charge resolved by peace bond for Yazidi Association of Manitoba executive director

The leader of a Yazidi non-profit group who was accused of unwanted comments and touching last year by a woman in his community is no longer facing a sexual assault charge.

Hadji Hesso, executive director of the Yazidi Association of Manitoba, agreed to the conditions of an 18-month peace bond that ordered him to stay 100 metres away from the woman who accused him, court heard on March 7 in Winnipeg, according to recordings reviewed by CBC News.

Provincial court Judge Wanda Garreck told Hesso he must not attend the woman's home, school, or place of worship and cannot speak with the woman directly or indirectly for the time the peace bond is in effect.

"That means that you cannot contact her by phone, email, text, social media, through other people, you cannot pass any messages along in any way, have any kind of communication with her," said Garreck.

"Are you willing to follow these conditions?"

"Yes, I do," Hesso told the court.

'It was an allegation,' says Hesso

CBC News reached out to Yazidi Association of Manitoba on Monday to confirm if Hesso was still the executive director, and was told by Hesso personally that he was still in the position.

"Nothing has changed. It was an allegation, nothing has been changed. Same board members, same people, everything else, it was an allegation," Hesso told CBC News.

The Yazidi Association of Manitoba is a non-profit described on its Facebook page as "dedicated to advocate, represent and absorb refugees of the Yazidi minority in Canada." Yazidis are a persecuted ethnic and religious minority mainly in northern Iraq.

Court previously heard on Oct. 18 that Hesso had known the woman through the association since she and her family arrived in Canada after fleeing Iraq nearly a decade before.

The woman accused Hesso of repeated inappropriate comments, unwanted advances and non-consensual touching at a space used by the Yazidi association between July and August of that year.

Previous breaches of conditions

Hesso was arrested, charged and released on conditions on Oct. 4, but was subsequently arrested for failing to comply with a release condition to not communicate with the complainant. He applied for bail but was denied on Oct. 28.

He was charged again on two counts of failing to comply with a release condition after allegedly contacting the woman on Nov. 28, and was also charged with uttering a threat. 

In a Monday interview with CBC News, Hesso said, "next question" and "no comment" when asked why he continued to reach out to the woman after receiving conditions by the court to not contact her.

He called the sexual assault allegation a shock and at times, embarrassing.

When asked what he would do to stay away from the woman's place of worship, Hesso said if he went somewhere the community had gathered for a religious celebration and the woman is there, he would leave.

"We have to comply with everything," Hesso said.

Hesso will be ordered to pay $500 if he breaks the conditions of the current 18-month peace bond, court heard in March.

The Crown stayed Hesso's Oct. 4 sexual assault charge, and charges related to uttering a threat and complying with conditions of his release in November, in exchange for the 18-month peace bond.

Alex Steigerwald, Hesso's defence lawyer, told CBC News in a written statement that Hesso has maintained the allegations against him are false.

"Mr. Hesso feels vindicated to have the charges against him dropped by the Crown attorney, and he is eager to finally be able to put this matter behind him," said Steigerwald.

Hesso was previously listed as a board member of the Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba online, but his name no longer appears on the council's website.