Hay River, N.W.T., man facing sex-related charges testifies at trial

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it. 

A Hay River, N.W.T., man facing sex charges testified in his own defence in a Yellowknife courtroom on Wednesday.

Justin Minute, 39, has pleaded not guilty to child luring, voyeurism and sexual assault. The trial before N.W.T Supreme Court Justice Karin L.E Taylor was in its third day.

Minute told the court that he was "blown away by the accusations" made against him by the complainant in the case, and said he didn't know what was behind them.

Earlier this week, the complainant, who was underage at the time of the alleged incidents in 2018 and 2019, testified that she saw Minute's phone in a bathroom, pointed at the shower. She said he also made sexual jokes and touched her around her waist inappropriately. Her identity is protected by a publication ban.

Minute told the court on Wednesday that he once accidentally forgot his phone in a bathroom, then used his watch's camera button to see where the phone was. He said he saw the shower on his watch, but no one was there. He said he never spied on the complainant.

The accusations first came to light in February 2020 to the Hay River RCMP. The court heard that the police didn't recover any of the alleged bathroom recordings on Minute's phone or watch.

Two of Minute's former partners also testified this week. They both told the court that Minute confessed to them that he did all of the things he's accused of. 

Some text messages and transcripts of phone recordings from Minute to his former partners were also read out in court. In one, Minute says he "should be in jail," and in another he says, "I feel like a bad person for the things I have done." 

In court Wednesday, Minute said there was a lot of miscommunication, and that he never confessed to any of the allegations.

He agreed that some of the messages seemed like admissions of guilt, but he claimed he was frustrated at the time, and emotionally overwhelmed by the shame of being accused. He said his words did not come out as clearly as he intended at the time and that he had a hard time articulating his thoughts.

"[She] confused shame with guilt," Minute said, referring to one of his ex-partners.

In his cross examination, Crown prosecutor Morgan Fane said that a lot of Minute's testimony involved him saying he was misinterpreted, while the evidence sounded like a confession.

Minute told the court the charges have affected him professionally and personally. He said he was employed as a case worker at the Hay River jail, and after he was charged he was reassigned.

Minute said the charges have also affected his mental health, and that he had attempted suicide twice. 

Minute was the last witness to testify at the trial. Lawyers for both sides will give their closing arguments Thursday.

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.