Trial begins in Calgary for man accused of kidnapping, drugging, sexually assaulting 7 women
After a string of delays, the trial for Richard Mantha got underway in a Calgary courtroom on Wednesday.
Mantha is accused of kidnapping, drugging and sexually assaulting seven women between September 2020 and March of 2023 — most of them sex trade workers.
He was arrested in 2023 and has pleaded not guilty.
Mantha was initially supposed to go to trial in January of 2024, but the trial was delayed after Mantha fired his lawyer, then suffered a stoke several months later.
During a hearing last fall, a forensic psychiatrist testified while the stroke may have affected Mantha's cognitive capacity and reduced his verbal skills, he was still fit to stand trial.
On Wednesday, the court heard testimony from a woman named Kathleen Budzey, who told the court she was driving toward Highway 22X in early April of 2022 when she spotted a woman walking who appeared to be staggering and appeared out of place.
Story continues below advertisement
After stopping to ask the woman if she was OK, Budzey testified the woman told her she didn't know where she was. Budzey continued telling the court she told the woman there was a nearby Tim Hortons, and called police to check on her.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The next person to take the stand was Christopher Vermeersch, a former digital forensic investigator with the RCMP, who was tasked with looking at all the files inside Mantha's cellphone.
The Crown prosecutor alleges that images, conversations and videos containing sexually explicit materials show it was Mantha who was committing the acts — with the Crown saying the evidence is based off his voice and other visible features.
However, when Mantha's attorney asked if the forensic investigator could verify the images and video were originally taken by the same device they were pulled from, the investigator could not.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Crown played the police video interview of one of the complainants who was brought in for interview in March of 2023. The woman starts by telling police she thought, 'Nobody cared about her.'
During the interview she recalled being at a bus stop in the Calgary community of Forest Lawn in early April of 2022, waiting for a bus when a man in a truck stopped, asking her if she needed a ride home. After accepting a Sprite to drink, the woman says she passed out — waking up naked in an RV and Mantha holding a vibrator.
Story continues below advertisement
The complainant told police she pulled a knife on Mantha, demanding to be taken back to Calgary, but on the drive, she was pushed out of the vehicle landing on her stomach and rolling into the ditch.
The woman finished by saying she was eventually picked up by members of Alberta RCMP who told her she was the second woman they had picked up under similar circumstances that week, eventually dropping her off at a CTrain station and did not follow up.
More testimony is expected to continue in the coming days, with arguments expected to wrap up in the judge-only trial by the end of May.
2:36
Chestermere landowner left with cleanup after police arrest suspected kidnapper
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
12 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Ajax man caught dealing drugs in Sudbury to serve rest of sentence behind bars
Stephen Malabre-Patrick argued he should be released now because of poor conditions at Sudbury Jail Harold Carmichael Published Jun 07, 2025 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 3 minute read A southern Ontario drug dealer has failed to convince a Sudbury judge he should be released early because of poor conditions at Sudbury Jail. A southern Ontario drug dealer has failed to convince a Sudbury judge he should be released early because of poor conditions at Sudbury Jail. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Instead, Ontario Court Justice Martin Lambert ruled that Stephen Malabre-Patrick of Ajax will need to finish his sentence for drug trafficking in jail. Malabre-Patrick's lawyer argued his client should be given time-served credit because of poor conditions at Sudbury Jail, such as overcrowding and lockdowns, and be released now. Now 33, Malabre-Patrick pleaded guilty to cocaine possession for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to traffic controlled substances. He was one of six southern Ontario people police officers busted in 2023 for drug trafficking in Sudbury. The Crown and defence lawyer Thomas Evangelista agreed Malabre-Patrick should receive a sentence of two years less a day. The only thing to be determined was how much pre-trial custody he should get. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Crown argued Malabre-Patrick should receive the typical 1.5-1 so-called Summers pre-trial custody credit. Summers credit refers to the practice of a sentencing judge reducing a sentence for the time an individual spent in pre-trial custody. It's based on the principle that time served before a trial or plea may be considered in determining the final sentence, reflecting that the individual has already endured some of the potential consequences of their actions. As a result, a judge can subtract 1.5 days from the sentence for every day spent in pre-sentence custody. Evangelista, however, said his client should also receive a Duncan credit due to poor conditions at Sudbury Jail. If granted, Malabre-Patrick would be released immediately. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A Duncan credit allows a judge to award additional credit for time spent in pre-trial custody beyond the standard 1.5:1 ratio when 'particularly harsh' conditions of detention are present. Justice Lambert, however, didn't buy that argument. He ruled Malabre-Patrick was entitled only to the 1.5-1 Summers pre-trial custody credit. Lambert noted that sentences for drug trafficking often involve penitentiary terms, meaning two years or more in a federal jail. He said the Duncan credit is issued for 'exceptionally punitive conditions' and granting the extra credit to Malabre-Patrick to turn his sentence into a time-served one 'would not reflect the seriousness and gravity of the offences.' In the end, Malabre-Patrick's pre-trial custody credit came to 516 days. That leaves him with 213 days or about seven months to serve. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Justice Lambert also issued a 10-year weapons ban and a DNA order. Lambert noted that Malabre-Patrick, 33, had worked in construction and painting and has a job offer in construction waiting for him upon his release. The judge took into account that Malabre-Patrick completed numerous programs while in custody. 'I accept that Mr. Malabre-Patrick's pleas of guilt are an indication of remorse on his part,' said Lambert. Members of the Provincial Joint Forces Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team, in partnership with the Greater Sudbury Police Service and with assistance from the Durham Regional Police, executed warrants in Greater Sudbury, Toronto and Ajax on March 29, 2023, as part of an ongoing investigation that began in August 2022 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Malabre-Patrick was one of six people from southern Ontario arrested in a Greater Sudbury home on March 30, 2023, during the execution of a search warrant. Officers found 200 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of $100,000 in a bedroom Malabre-Patrick was using. According to a police news release at the time, officers seized about 2.7 kilograms of cocaine, nearly 300 grams of fentanyl, a loaded nine-millimetre magazine, more than $97,000 in Canadian currency, and $1,000 in counterfeit currency. After 44 days in custody following his arrest, Malabre-Patrick got bail with strict conditions that included house arrest. He breached those conditions and was back in custody in Oshawa on Aug. 5, 2024, and has remained in custody since. As a result of the two guilty pleas, the Crown dropped other charges Malabre-Patrick was facing. hcarmichael@ X; @HaroldCarmichae Olympics Columnists Toronto & GTA Columnists Toronto & GTA
Global News
16 hours ago
- Global News
U.K. judge warns of risk to justice after lawyers cited fake AI-generated cases in court
Lawyers have cited fake cases generated by artificial intelligence in court proceedings in England, a judge has said — warning that attorneys could be prosecuted if they don't check the accuracy of their research. High Court justice Victoria Sharp said the misuse of AI has 'serious implications for the administration of justice and public confidence in the justice system.' In the latest example of how judicial systems around the world are grappling with how to handle the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in court, Sharp and fellow judge Jeremy Johnson chastised lawyers in two recent cases in a ruling on Friday. They were asked to rule after lower court judges raised concerns about 'suspected use by lawyers of generative artificial intelligence tools to produce written legal arguments or witness statements which are not then checked,' leading to false information being put before the court. Story continues below advertisement In a ruling written by Sharp, the judges said that in a USD$120-million lawsuit over an alleged breach of a financing agreement involving the Qatar National Bank, a lawyer cited 18 cases that did not exist. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The client in the case, Hamad Al-Haroun, apologized for unintentionally misleading the court with false information produced by publicly available AI tools, and said he was responsible, rather than his solicitor Abid Hussain. But Sharp said it was 'extraordinary that the lawyer was relying on the client for the accuracy of their legal research, rather than the other way around.' In the other incident, a lawyer cited five fake cases in a tenant's housing claim against the London Borough of Haringey. Barrister Sarah Forey denied using AI, but Sharp said she had 'not provided to the court a coherent explanation for what happened.' The judges referred the lawyers in both cases to their professional regulators, but did not take more serious action. Sharp said providing false material as if it were genuine could be considered contempt of court or, in the 'most egregious cases,' perverting the course of justice, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. She said in the judgment that AI is a 'powerful technology' and a 'useful tool' for the law. Story continues below advertisement 'Artificial intelligence is a tool that carries with it risks as well as opportunities,' the judge said. 'Its use must take place therefore with an appropriate degree of oversight, and within a regulatory framework that ensures compliance with well-established professional and ethical standards if public confidence in the administration of justice is to be maintained.'
Global News
19 hours ago
- Global News
Russian attacks on Ukrainian city of Kharkiv kill 4
Russian attacks targeting the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed at least four people and wounded more than two dozen others on Saturday, officials said, as hopes for peace dimmed further. The first wave on Ukraine's second-largest city was a large Russian drone-and-missile attack in the early hours. It killed at least three people and wounded 21 others, according to local officials. In the afternoon, Russia dropped aerial bombs on the city centre, killing at least one person and wounding five more, Kharkiv's mayor said. The warring sides also accused each other of trying to sabotage a planned prisoner exchange, nearly a week after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. Saturday's barrage — the latest in near daily widescale attacks on Ukraine — included aerial glide bombs that have become part of a fierce Russian onslaught in the all-out war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. Story continues below advertisement Kharkiv residents describe fiery trap As firefighters and emergency workers bustled around attack sites in Kharkiv, residents described the strikes that damaged their homes and nearly took their lives on Saturday morning. Alina Belous said that she had tried to extinguish flames with buckets of water to rescue a young girl trapped inside a burning building who had called out for help. 'We were trying to put it out ourselves with our buckets, together with our neighbours. Then the rescuers arrived and started helping us put out the fire, but there was smoke and they worried that we couldn't stay there. When the ceiling started falling off, they took us out,' she said. Local resident Vadym Ihnachenko said that he thought at first that it was a neighbouring building going up in flames. 'But when we saw sparks coming from the top, we realized it was our building,' he said. 1:51 Russian strikes on Kyiv a response to Ukraine's weekend airfield attacks 'More pressure on Moscow is required' Ukraine's air force said that Russia struck with 215 missiles and drones overnight, and Ukrainian air defences shot down 87 drones and seven missiles. Story continues below advertisement Several other areas in Ukraine were also hit, including the regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and the city of Ternopil, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in an X post. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'To put an end to Russia's killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine,' he said. The Russian defence ministry on Saturday said that its forces carried out a nighttime strike on Ukrainian military targets, including ammunition depots, drone assembly workshops, and weaponry repair stations. There was no comment from Moscow on the reports of casualties in Kharkiv. Kharkiv's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said that the strikes also damaged 18 apartment buildings and 13 private homes. Terekhov said that it was 'the most powerful attack' on the city since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. 2:25 Russia targets Ukraine with hundreds of drones, missiles in massive attack Children among the wounded Kharkiv's regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said the morning's attacks saw two districts in the city struck with three missiles, five aerial glide bombs and 48 drones. Among the wounded were two children, a baby boy and a 14-year-old girl, he added. Story continues below advertisement Six people are believed to be trapped under the rubble of an industrial facility in Kharkiv's Kyiv district, The Kharkiv prosecutor's office said in a statement on Telegram. Contact with those trapped was lost and rescue attempts have been ongoing since early afternoon, it said, without naming the facility. On Saturday afternoon, Russian aerial bombs struck Kharkiv again, killing at least one person and wounding five others, the mayor said. The morning strikes also wounded two people in the Dnipropetrovsk province further south, according to local Gov. Serhii Lysak. Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said that its forces shot down 36 Ukrainian drones overnight, over the country's south and west, including near the capital. Drone debris wounded two civilians in the suburbs of Moscow, local Gov. Andrei Vorobyov reported. No breakthrough on a peace deal On Friday, Russia struck six Ukrainian territories, killing at least six people and wounding about 80. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. A U.S.-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, though the negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs. But both sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Story continues below advertisement Prisoner swap called into question Later on Saturday, Russia and Ukraine each accused the other of endangering plans to swap 6,000 bodies of soldiers killed in action, agreed upon during direct talks in Istanbul on Monday that otherwise made no progress towards ending the war. Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide who led the Russian delegation, said that Kyiv called a last-minute halt to an imminent swap. In a Telegram post, Medinsky said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1,200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site at the border when the news came. In response, Ukraine said Russia was playing 'dirty games' and manipulating facts. According to the main Ukrainian authority dealing with such swaps, no date had been set for repatriating the bodies. In a statement Saturday, the agency also accused Russia of submitting lists of prisoners of war for repatriation that didn't correspond to agreements reached on Monday. Story continues below advertisement It wasn't immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting claims. New video of airfield drone attack Ukraine's security service on Saturday released a video said to show its audacious attack on Russian air fields Sunday in which Kyiv said that 41 Russian military aircraft was destroyed. The video shows the flight path of one explosive-laden first person view, or FPV, drone – from takeoff from the roof of a modular building to the Belaya air field — where it appears to strike a Russian strategic bomber. Other aircraft are seen engulfed in flames, apparently from previous hits in Ukraine's 'Operation Spiderweb.' A previous round of negotiations in Istanbul, the first time Russian and Ukrainian negotiators sat at the same table since the early weeks of the full-scale invasion, led to 1,000 prisoners on both sides being exchanged. 0:28 Ukraine claims drone strike on Russian air bases as both sides prepare for peace talks –with files from The Associated Press' Joanna Kozlowska Story continues below advertisement
