Richard Mantha trial: Woman testifies she learned she was raped after seeing herself in video

WARNING: This story contains disturbing and graphic details.

The third woman to testify at Richard Mantha's sexual assault trial told the court she discovered what happened to her after a friend sent a clip of a video she says showed her being raped for three hours and 40 minutes.

"I fought for most of the whole time, which was three hours and 20 minutes, and in the last 20 minutes, my body went limp," said the woman whom CBC News is identifying as CB. 

Mantha is on trial on 20 criminal charges involving seven alleged victims. He is accused of drugging, kidnapping and sexually assaulting women, most of whom were involved in Calgary's sex trade between 2019 and 2023.

CB testified on Wednesday, telling the judge that in September 2019, she worked as an escort and had agreed to provide sexual services to Mantha in a hotel room.

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Once there, she says Mantha provided snacks and made her a drink with vodka. 

CB testified she sat on the bed beside Mantha.

"And that's all I remember until hours later," she told prosecutor Dominique Mathurin.

CB started to cry as she began to explain what happened next.

"I woke up with a vibrator inside me, him on top of me," she said.  

'I have to get out of this room'

An iPad was leaned up against a television in the hotel room and CB says a flashing light on the device led her to believe it was recording. 

CB said she was angry and demanded Mantha turn it off. Her mind was racing trying to piece together the last several hours. 

"What I was thinking is, 'Did I say OK?' … why can't I remember?"

"I put myself in this situation, I have to get out. I have to get out of this room."

'Something happened'

Mantha acted as if nothing happened, and CB says she left the hotel room.

"Something happened to me. I know something happened but I just don't remember," she said of her mindset back in September 2019. 

"I just had to know."

CB says she stayed in touch with Mantha; partly because she wanted to piece together what happened to her and partly because she needed to fund her drug addiction.

In the following weeks, CB says, she met a young, tall, dark skinned woman who was with Mantha in his vehicle, and then again at his rural property, where she was taken as part of an agreement she'd made to exchange sexual services for money. 

'Something not right'

Inside Mantha's Quonset on his property, CB testified, she refused to allow him to make her a drink because of the previous encounter.

"He was quite annoyed by that," she said.

The young woman was also in the Quonset, and CB testified that Mantha wouldn't allow her to go home. She wondered why.

"There was just something not right," CB said in her testimony. 

CB says she accepted drugs from Mantha and blacked out again. She testified she has no memory of the rest of her time on the property or getting home.

'Like some kind of animal'

Soon after, CB says, she got a call from the young woman who told her: "I found some stuff on the computer. You're in there."

"She said 'there's lists of girls' names on this computer, dates, they're all in videos and pictures.'"

The young woman then sent a short clip of a video.

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CB said the clip showed her naked with Mantha on top of her.

"Watching it and knowing it's me is something I can't get my head around," said CB, emotional. 

"He's over me like some kind of animal."

CB says the woman told her that she fought back for hours before her body went "limp."

'I knew she was afraid'

The two women made a plan to go to police together the next morning

"But she was still with him, I knew she was afraid," said CB. "So I waited for the morning after … I waited for her to call me and she never did."

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Defence lawyer André Ouellette began cross-examination of CB Wednesday afternoon.

"Considering the passage of time, the use of alcohol, drugs, there are things that are not very clear, your memory is not complete," he suggested.

CB agreed. 

She also confirmed that she had not viewed the entirety of the video, only a short clip that lasted "minutes" or "seconds."

More cross-examination Thursday 

Ouellette also pointed out discrepancies between CB's statement to police and her testimony in court.

For example, CB told police that she wasn't sure if, after her first encounter with Mantha, she met him later the same day or within a day or two.

In court, she said it was later the same day.

Ouellette's cross-examination will continue Thursday.

Justice Judith Shriar previously heard testimony from two other women who said they were attacked by Mantha. 

The trial continues Thursday and is set to run until Feb. 9.