Sexual assault complainants mistaken or lying: accused

Crown prosecutor continues to question former club promoter over 13 allegations

A former club promoter accused of multiple counts of sexual assault says each of the complainants is either mistaken or lying, Edmonton court heard Monday.

As Crown prosecutor Mark Huyser-wierenga continued to cross-examine Matthew Mcknight over his memory of events that happened between 2010 and 2016, Mcknight doubled down that each of the 13 complainants in the case is lying about their sexual encounters.

Mcknight is facing 12 counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault causing bodily harm against 13 women while working as a promoter for several night clubs in the city.

Huyser-wierenga used the analogy that someone can get struck by lightning once, but not twice, or three times or a dozen times.

“The women are mistaken or lying,” Mcknight said in response.

“I did not rape any of these women.”

Mcknight added that lightning is more likely to strike with a lightning rod and he likened media releases about his charges to a lightning rod.

Huyser-wierenga then brought up that five women came forward of their own accord before any media releases. But Mcknight countered that two didn’t go forward with charges.

Again Huyser-wierenga asked whether five women came forward on their own and asked Mcknight to answer yes or no.

“Correct,” Mcknight responded. Huyser-wierenga also questioned the specificity of Mcknight’s memory. He brought up how Mcknight could remember clearly there was no alcohol in his home during the night of one of the sexual assaults in question in 2010.

“You can specifically remember again, that idiosyncratic, odd detail there was no alcohol?” Huyserwierenga said.

“We very rarely had alcohol in our home,” Mcknight responded, adding he wasn’t making a large salary working as an assistant manager and didn’t have money to buy liquor. He also said he didn’t share alcohol with his roommate.

Again, Huyser-wierenga asked Mcknight whether he could specifically recall having alcohol.

“I’m pretty sure we had no alcohol in the apartment and I’m 100 per cent sure we didn’t drink when we got home,” Mcknight said.

Huyser-wierenga questioned Mcknight’s memory over the location of a complainant’s purse, which Mcknight said he found in the front passenger seat of his car but couldn’t remember other details about it.

“What kind of purse was it?” Huyser-wierenga asked.

“A purse, I’m not a women’s fashion expert,” Mcknight said. “What colour?”

“I don’t remember what colour.” Huyser-wierenga continued his cross-examination of Mcknight Monday afternoon. The jury trial is now in its 10th week.

The women are mistaken or lying. I did not rape any of these women.