Waverley man on trial accused of historical sex crimes by two complainants
Warning: Content in this article may be upsetting or triggering to some readers.
The trial of a Waverley man accused of historical sex crimes by two complainants got underway Monday in a Midland, Ont. courtroom.
Robert Moroziuk, 50, is accused of nine counts including: sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and forcible confinement, by two young women who say they were children between five and 12 years of age.
Moroziuk has been out on bail since his arrest when he was charged June 24 of last year by Southern Georgian Bay OPP.
Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment
The OPP detachment in Georgian Bay, Ont. (CTV Barrie)
At the time of the allegations, between 2011 and 2015, Moroziuk owned a convenience store when the first complainant says Moroziuk assaulted her and at his nearby home where he lived with his family.
'Robert sexually assaulted me' she told the court.
The young woman said she was as young as five and old as 11 when she was molested by Moroziuk at his home and shop.
'However often I was over there,' she said.
During cross-examination defence lawyer Andrew Knott, the complainant told the court she had trouble remembering the specifics of every alleged incident. She said Moroziuk often had his hands under her clothing and on her privates.
She testified trying to block the events out of her mind as if they never happened. She told the court she has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She told the court the incidents occurred when other people may have been nearby. The defence suggested the events never occurred, but the witness said they '100 per cent did.'
Robert Moroziuk
Robert Moroziuk, 50, accused of historical sex crimes by two complainants walks out of the Midland, Ont. courthouse on June 9, 2025. (CTV News / Mike Arsalides)
She testified telling her parents eight years ago, but they decided not to get the criminal justice system involved. She said she was about 11 years of age at the time and had not returned to the home or had any communication with Moroziuk since her parents found out.
They 'didn't want to put me through all the legal stuff' she told the court when explaining why police were not notified at the time her parents were informed of the allegations.
She revealed she only came forward to police after speaking with a counsellor.
The second complainant took the witness stand in the afternoon session. She told the court Moroziuk made repeated comments about her breast size and touched her breasts. She described being 'groped' by him. She described Moroziuk kissing her on the lips and exposing himself to her.
The witness began to cry when recounting the incidents.
'I never told anyone,' she testified.
The trial is scheduled to resume Friday with defence cross-examination of the second witness.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
42 minutes ago
- CTV News
Heated Hampstead council meeting ends with police removing former mayor
Former Hampstead mayor William Steinberg was removed by police during a heated council meeting after clashing with Mayor Jeremy Levi over spending and transparency. The mayor and former mayor of Hampstead went toe to toe during Monday's council meeting, hurling accusations of misappropriating public funds at each other in a heated exchange that ended with the latter being expelled by Montreal police (SPVM). According to the SPVM, the town of Hamstead requested police assistance in expelling a 77-year-old man who was behaving 'inappropriately or disruptively' during the meeting. The confrontation lasted about 15 minutes, during which both men continuously interrupted each other. 'The police intervened to remove this man. There was nothing criminal and no arrest was made,' said SPVM spokesperson Julien Lévesque. Former mayor William Steinberg called his removal 'disgraceful' and said that he was looking for answers. Former mayor of Hampstead William Steinberg During the exchange, Steinberg confronted Mayor Jeremy Levi about a 40.5 per cent salary increase for councillors, totalling $207,738, and questioned expensive travel and hotel stays, including a $900-a-night stay at the Dallas Omni hotel. 'I want to be clear, I'm not saying they did anything illegal. You elect people, they can pretty much do what they want, and it's too bad you elected them. So, 40 per cent salary increase, of course, it's outrageous,' said Steinberg in a recent interview. He said his wife was also kicked out of the meeting when she later 'called [Levi] on a lie. 'I mean, this is not transparent. This is not honest,' said Steinberg. Steinberg was mayor of Hampstead for 16 years until he lost to Levi in 2021. Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi Levi defended the salary increase, saying that Steinberg 'erroneously' advised the council that the mayor's salary has to be three times that of a councillor. 'We looked into that and that was never the case. It's factually incorrect. I looked at the amount of work that council puts in. You know better than anybody else the amount of work that gets involved with council,' Levi told Steinberg during the exchange. 'So, we thought it was perfectly acceptable for $38,000 for a councillor to have as their salary, which is very in line with other councillors throughout the city. I don't see why they would be required to pay it back.' As for the Dallas hotel stay, Levi said the conference took place at the Omni, and the rate was $480 U.S. a night. Levi then noted he looked into Steinberg's expense reimbursements during his mandate and found the former mayor claimed over $16,000 compared to $200 so far under his own term. Steinberg argued that Levi misrepresented his expenses by focusing only on reimbursements, some of which were purchases made on behalf of the town. Many of the allegations Steinberg has made against Levi and the rest of the council are found in his blog, where he also mentions a January 2024 report by the Commission municipale du Québec (CMQ) into the improper use of credit cards by municipal employees and 'inadequate control of the expenses incurred.' According to the former mayor, he obtained the financial information through numerous access to information requests. Levi has repeatedly defended Hampstead's director general, Richard Sun, claiming he did not engage in any wrongdoing and that the council has no grounds to suspect foul play or improper conduct. In a statement to CTV News, Levi's office said that several of the expenses cited in the blog post were incurred during the pandemic when traditional town-wide holiday gatherings were not feasible. 'Council instead authorized smaller, department-specific meals in local restaurants to recognize staff efforts—an approach aligned with the town's intent to maintain employee morale and support local businesses, in accordance with public health guidelines,' Hampstead spokesperson Sarah-Eve Longtin said. Additionally, she said that only a single adjustment of 29 per cent for a salary increase was approved in July 2022. In terms of the CMQ report, Longtin said the town has taken concrete action in response to the CMQ's recommendations, including the implementation of a strengthened policy framework governing the use of town credit cards. 'Internal procedures regarding expense approval, documentation, and accountability have been reinforced through revised protocols and staff training,' she added. Steinberg said that he plans on publishing a new blog post within the next few days. 'I have no plans to run. I want this council replaced by honest, ethical people who care about Hampstead,' he said.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Makeshift bike lane set up on Wellington Crescent on anniversary of Winnipeg cyclist's death
Social Sharing Concrete cinderblocks, two-by-four planks and green paint briefly lined hundreds of metres of Winnipeg's Wellington Crescent last week, set up by bike-lane advocates to mark the anniversary of a cyclist's death in a high-speed crash there one year ago. Organizer Michael told CBC's Marcy Markusa on Information Radio Wednesday morning that community members who live and move along the busy road feel the city is stalling instead of installing safety infrastructure. CBC News has agreed not to use Michael's last name. "It shouldn't be as hard as it is to get the city to take action here. We wanted to demonstrate that this is something that a bunch of people — in an hour and a half — put together. It shouldn't be taking years and years in order to design and study and build this," Michael said. "We've gone through all the official, proper channels and we still have nothing on the ground." The DIY bike lane went up last Friday, exactly one year since 61-year-old cyclist Rob Jenner was killed when a 19-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle while driving 159 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. The driver, Beckham Keneth Severight, was sentenced in March to three years in prison for dangerous driving causing death. Winnipeg cyclist killed in hit and run was a loving family man who took safety precautions, family says Voice shaking, widow of cyclist killed in hit-and-run addresses young driver in court 19-year-old driver who killed cyclist in Wellington Crescent hit and run sentenced to 3 years Michael said hundreds of community members gathered at a block party to celebrate Jenner's life and install the bike lane, stretching for about 400 metres each way from Cockburn Street North to Hugo Street North. The city took it down the same day. 'It's just not safe,' councillor says Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes, who chairs the city's public works committee, told CBC's Faith Fundal on Up to Speed Wednesday afternoon that the DIY bike lane was a hazard for all road users and had to be dismantled. "We had to take it down, because you could barely see it … and at night, you would never see it and then a car would run into it or a cyclist would run into it, and there would be another disaster," Lukes said. "It's just not safe because it's just not designed to be safe." The city is developing a report on making cycling safer along Wellington Crescent. The committee voted to delay that report, prompting protests outside city hall last month. Lukes said traffic engineers are still studying how the city would install "semi-permanent" barricades that would serve as a temporary barricade until Wellington undergoes road renewal. She said that renewal isn't planned for Wellington yet, but temporary bike lanes were installed on River Avenue before they were replaced with permanent infrastructure. "It can't be done overnight. It just takes time to properly engineer it," she said, adding that the city would also have to run public consultations with residents and other stakeholders. "I understand it's not fast enough for some," Lukes said. Lukes's public works committee had backed a push to reduce speeds along Wellington Crescent from 50 km/h to 30 km/h. But that motion was voted down by the city's executive policy committee in December. Michael said he and other bike-lane advocates are frustrated that the speed-limit reduction motion stalled, while the safety report faces further delays. Yet the city moved very quickly to tear down the DIY bike lane, he said, removing it within hours of it going up. "I'm just so mad. They'll delay for two years in building the dang thing and that same night they find the time to come and tear it down," Michael said. "If they actually cared about keeping people safe, they'd be building something instead."
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
SIU investigates crash involving London police cruiser and city bus
The province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating after three people were hurt in a motor vehicle collision involving a London police cruiser. Just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, an officer driving a police vehicle in the area of Queens Avenue and Talbot Street was involved in a collision with a city bus. The driver and two passengers in the bus sustained minor injuries as a result of the collision. One passenger sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. All three passengers were taken to hospital. The officer did not sustain any physical injuries.
