Trial begins for a Hay River, N.W.T., man facing sex-related charges

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

A trial began Monday in a Yellowknife courtroom for a Hay River, N.W.T., man facing several sex-related charges.

39-year-old Justin Minute is accused of voyeurism, sexual assault, and child luring. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The charges are related to incidents that allegedly happened in Hay River and Fort Smith in 2018 and 2019.

In February 2023, the RCMP arrested and charged Minute. According to court records, Minute had also been charged with voyeurism in January 2020, but that charge was later dropped. 

At the time of the alleged offences, Minute was working as a case manager at the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre in Hay River. There is no suggestion that the allegations are connected to his work.

The charges are related to one alleged victim, who was the first person to testify at the judge-only trial. The woman's identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

The complainant told the court about an incident where she found Minute's phone in a bathroom, pointed at the toilet and with the camera application open. She also described other alleged incidents of inappropriate touching, sexual jokes, and text messages by Minute which had pictures of her. A teenager at the time, she said the incidents made her feel uncomfortable around Minute.

She first brought the allegations to the Hay River RCMP in February 2020, and again in September 2022. Minute was arrested in 2023. 

During cross examination in N.W.T. Supreme Court on Monday, Minute's lawyer Evan McIntyre noted how many times Minute's accuser began her testimony with "I think," and implied it would be difficult to remember details from years ago.

McIntyre also pointed out that when the complainant spoke to the RCMP, she said she did not think the phone camera in the bathroom was recording.

McIntyre added that the complainant's first statement to police in 2020 only mentioned the bathroom allegation, and not any other inappropriate incidents. Her 2022 statement to police included more details about the other alleged incidents.

The complainant told the court on Monday that she wasn't sure at first whether certain behaviours would have counted as inappropriate, and that's why she didn't mention them until her later statement to police. 

The trial continues Tuesday.

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.