Verdict in multiple child sex abuse case coming Monday
Supreme Court heard closing arguments in the case of Chris Snow on Friday
WARNING: This article contains graphic language
Lawyers in the case of a man charged with sexually abusing five children years ago wrapped up their submissions in Newfoundland Supreme Court Friday, agreeing the issue at hand is not whether the victims are credible, but whether their testimonies are reliable.
Crown prosecutor Tannis King argued they are. The five complainants gave straightforward, concise and strong evidence about having suffered repeated sexual assaults at the hands of Chris Snow, she said, and were honest about the things they couldn’t remember. She noted the complainants were often emotional and visibly pained on the stand, but showed no animosity towards Snow, and their testimonies were corroborated by each other.
“Given the lack of collusion, they would have had to come with this on their own,” King told Justice William Goodridge, noting the trial was unique and uncomplicated in that it was based on testimony alone, with no forensics. “If the court had any questions about reliability, (their similar testimonies) should give the court comfort that these are reliable, independent memories.”
Defense lawyer Jason Edwards argued the complainants’ testimonies could not be deemed reliable, given certain inconsistencies and contradictions in details, the fact that most of their testimonies consisted of general incidents as opposed to specific ones, and the passage of time since the alleged assaults.
“We are not challenging the credibility of these witnesses. However, we are dealing with incidents that are alleged to have taken place between 45 and 50 years ago,” Edwards said. “Historic allegations are always problematic because memories do fade and memories are created.”
Earlier in the week, the complainants
— three women and two men — gave graphic testimonies of having been repeatedly sexually assaulted by Snow between 1965 and 1976. Snow was 18 when the alleged abuse started, and the youngest victim was six.
The complainants spoke of Snow sneaking into their bedrooms at night and fondling them, sometimes leaving them money. The men spoke of Snow forcing them to fondle him or forcing their mouths on his genitals. One man told the court Snow attempted to penetrate him anally on a number of occasions, beginning when he was nine years old. He gave details of three alleged incidents in particular, the most violent taking place when he was 13 and Snow was 24, he said.
Two of the women said they had blocked out memories of the alleged assaults, with one explaining she had memory problems and had remembered details via flashbacks, triggered by incidents of seeing Snow as an adult.
King and Edwards agreed the women’s testimony didn’t fit the definition of recovered memories, and Goodridge accepted that submission.
Only one of the complainants attended court in St. John’s to hear the lawyers’ closing arguments Friday morning. She wept as they gave a synopsis of the evidence.
Snow, now 68 and known to many in the St. John’s area for driving a truck decorated with boughs and Christmas lights and often blaring music, has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges related to child sexual abuse.
Goodridge will render his verdict Monday morning.