Trial begins for 3 men accused of sexual assault in Hay River, N.W.T., in 2022

The trial of three men from Hay River, N.W.T., facing sexual assault charges began Thursday at the N.W.T. Supreme Court.

Crown prosecutor Jean-Benoît Deschamps presented testimony from the lead investigator, and also a co-worker of the three accused men who had interacted with both them and the two alleged adult victims at the time.

The three accused — Maher Sellemi, Amine Zahi, and Hassen Zellama — are out on bail and were present at the trial, which was conducted in French with some English translation.

In July 2022, the three men were each charged with two counts of sexual assault. According to the Crown, the three met the two alleged victims at the Hay River Legion Branch over drinks early in the morning of July 3, and later all five went to an apartment belonging to one of the accused men. 

The following day, the alleged victims filed a complaint with the RCMP. Their identities are protected under a court-ordered publication ban.

RCMP Const. Grayson Campbell, the lead investigator, testified Thursday that he received a call about the alleged assault on July 4, 2022.

He told the court that when the two complainants arrived at the RCMP detachment that day, they were "very upset," with one crying and the other appearing "closed off with her arms."

Campbell testified that RCMP arrested Sellemi, Zahi, and Zellama on July 8, 2022, at a restaurant where they all worked in the vicinity of Ptarmigan Inn in Hay River. Campbell identified the accused men in court.

During cross-examination, Amine Zahi's lawyer, Kimberly Arial, asked if Zahi had resisted arrest or avoided police when approached at work. Campbell said that he didn't, and added that Zahi seemed confused, possibly as he didn't understand English that well.

The Crown presented surveillance footage from the Hay River Legion from the night of the alleged assaults, showing the accused and the complainants interacting and leaving together in a vehicle. Campbell testified that one of the alleged victims appeared intoxicated, struggling to maintain balance in the footage.

The court also heard on Thursday from Tanisha Edison, a co-worker of the three accused, who had met the complainants that morning for the first time at the Legion. 

Edison testified that she saw the group together at a table, with Sellemi appearing "handsy" with one of the alleged  victims and Zellama seeming intoxicated. She said the group left the venue in a vehicle, which she later saw at the residence of one of the accused.

Edison said that at around 2:30 a.m. on July 3, she was driving when she saw the two complainants walking on a street. She described them as "stoic" and unresponsive when she called out to them. 

Edison said she gave them a ride home and observed they were upset and crying, and said they "looked like two different people," compared to how she saw them earlier that night.

Edison said she later saw Sellemi, Zahi, and Zellama at work but did not discuss the complainants' allegations with them.

The trial is set to continue on Friday with testimony from a civilian witness and one of the alleged victims.