Thread by @smacdonald__

Good morning from BC Supreme Court in #Vancouver, where former @Canucks forward Jake Virtanen's trial by jury begins today. Virtanen is facing one count of sexual assault in connection to an alleged incident in 2017. We'll have full coverage on all @GlobalBC platforms this week.

Virtanen's trial is expected to last roughly one week. Twelve jurors and two alternates were selected over the weekend. Virtanen, now 25, is now in court as we await the judge and jury. My colleague @safeeyapirani is also here, and will have full coverage on @CKNW today.

More details and background from @GlobalBC here:

globalnews.ca/news/8997883/v…

The complainant in Jake Virtanen's sexual assault trial is now on the stand. She is now 23; she was 18 at the time of the alleged incident. She's says she and Virtanen first met at the Calgary Stampede in July of 2017, roughly two months before the alleged incident. @GlobalBC

The complainant, who can't be identified, grew up in a small town in the province's Interior. She now lives in Victoria. Her partner of about five years sits beside her for support as she testifies. Both the accused and the complainant have ~12 supporters in court. @GlobalBC

Jake Virtanen's sexual assault trial has now wrapped for the day early, as crown had no further questions for the complainant. Tomorrow, Virtanen's accuser is set to be cross-examined by defence. The jury is made up of eight men and four women. Full details tonight on @GlobalBC.

Good morning from day two of the sexual assault trial of former @Canucks forward Jake Virtanen. Yesterday, we heard from the complainant in this case—who alleges Virtanen sexually assaulted her in 2017. Today, she'll be cross-examined by defence. We'll have coverage on @GlobalBC.

Day two of the trial has just commenced—and crown has a few more questions for the complainant in this case. The accuser is being asked about her interactions with Virtanen at the Calgary Stampede in 2017, where the pair first met. @GlobalBC

What is clearly becoming a key sticking point for crown in this case is the complainant's testimony that she believed Virtanen—who was on the @Canucks roster at the time of the pair's 2017 encounter—resided in Abbotsford when they met up on the night of the alleged incident. /1

The complainant has testified several times that she was not aware Virtanen had access to a hotel room in #Vancouver on the night of September 26, 2017. She says she was surprised when the pair parked outside the @WestinBayshore, where the alleged assault took place. /2 @GlobalBC

The accuser is being asked by crown why she didn't report the alleged sexual assault to police earlier—something which, surely, will be brought up in cross-examination. She's then asked why she spent the night in the hotel room with Virtanen after the alleged assault. @GlobalBC

The accuser says it took her time to come to terms with what allegedly happened: reporting it would make it all real, she says. She speaks about giving an interview with the @Canucks, using an alias, as part of the team's internal investigation into Virtanen's conduct. @GlobalBC

Crown has now finished with questioning for the complainant. Defence, Brock Martland, now begins his cross-examination of the complainant. He begins his line of questioning by casting doubt on the accuser's memory, pointing out she's said "I think" in her testimony. @GlobalBC

One example defence points to is the accuser's recall of the vehicle Virtanen was driving when he picked her up on the night of September 26, 2017: yesterday, the accuser said she believed it to be a grey Dodge Charger. She said she couldn't recall for sure, though. @GlobalBC

Defence is now asking about the pair's communication after they first met at the Calgary Stampede in 2017. The accuser says they communicated over Snapchat, Instagram, and text. Some of those texts no longer exist, the accuser says. She says she got a new phone in 2020. @GlobalBC

Defence asks the accuser several times if she deleted those text messages between herself and Virtanen. She maintains that, no, she did not. She testifies that those text conversations did not carry over to her new phone, which she got in December of 2020. @GlobalBC

Defence is focusing on phone records now: the accused is asked to confirm that @VancouverPD asked her to obtain them as part of their investigation into her complaint. She says she checked her computer and asked her phone provider for them—but could not recover them. @GlobalBC

Defence tells court and the accuser that the alleged sexual assault will be referred to as "the incident" going forward. There's no dispute the pair was together on the night of September 26, 2017: at issue is what happened between the pair inside the @WestinBayshore. @GlobalBC

Defence asks the complainant about her communication with Virtanen in the months leading up to the alleged sexual assault: were the conversations flirtatious? The accuser responds, "I'm not sure that they were." She testifies communication stopped after the incident. @GlobalBC

Defence is now asking the complainant about the @instagram account with which she shared her accusations initially: Survivor Stories Project. This account is where the accuser's allegations were first made public, without naming Virtanen or the complainant. @GlobalBC

Defence is asking the accuser why she trusted the operators of the Survivor Stories Project page: does she know them? Will she share private communication? The complainant says she doesn't know who runs the site, and, for confidentiality, would not share their messages. @GlobalBC

During cross-examination in the Virtanen case, the jury has just been shown a tweet made by the complainant in August of 2020 which says, "Fuck Bo Horvat". The accuser says she doesn't remember the context of it; she's earlier testified her family is @NHLFlames fans. @GlobalBC

The jury has just been shown cellphone video of then-forward for the @Canucks, Jake Virtanen—intoxicated to the point of vomiting—at the Calgary Stampede in 2017. Also in the footage is the complainant, holding a bowl which Virtanen was vomiting into. @GlobalBC

In questioning about the pair's 2017 meeting in Calgary, defence insinuates the accuser knew Virtanen was a high-earning @NHL player, thus her alleged interest. Defence says Virtanen was drunk to the point of vomiting and urinating himself, calling him "disgusting". @GlobalBC

Court and cross-examination has continued in Jake Virtanen's sexual assault trial after a lunch break. The jury is now being shown correspondence between Virtanen and his accuser from the summer of 2017—direct messages on @instagram. @GlobalBC

In cross-examination of Virtanen's accuser, defence is asking why she went up to suite 526 in the @WestinBayshore on the night of the alleged sexual assault. The complainant responds: "I was not confident enough to say anything. I was 18 years old." @GlobalBC

Defence is now showing the jury recently recorded footage taken inside the @WestinBayshore hotel. It's cellphone footage taken from the vantage point of someone walking through the hotel's lobby. Defence is trying to demonstrate the accuser had ways to leave. @GlobalBC /1

The accuser has repeatedly testified she understood Virtanen was living in #Abbotsford when the pair met up—she testifies she was unaware Virtanen had access to a room at the @WestinBayshore, while he was playing with the @Canucks, and was surprised to end up there. @GlobalBC /2

Defence challenges the complainant as to why she would have spent the night in the same bed as Virtanen, after he allegedly sexually assaulted her:

Defence: “What were you wearing as you slept?”

Complainant: “Underwear.”

D: "Anything else?"

C: “I don’t think so.”

@GlobalBC

Defence continues to press the complainant as to why she would've shared a bed with Virtanen:

C: “Because I felt obligated. I felt like I had to.”

D: “Why?”

C: “Because I felt scared [...] I was very scared, and didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t thinking rationally.”

@GlobalBC

Cross-examination, and the Jake Virtanen trial, has now ended for the day. Cross-examination of the complainant by defence in this case is expected to continue on Wednesday. We'll have full details tonight on @GlobalBC at 6pm.

Our coverage of the second day of former @Canucks forward Jake Virtanen’s sexual assault trial—and the unflattering cellphone footage released by his own defence team—here, as seen on @GlobalBC. The cross-examination of his accuser is expected to continue on Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/GlobalBC/status/1549593703458783232

Good morning from day three of former @Canucks forward Jake Virtanen's sexual assault trial, at BC Supreme Court in #Vancouver. Court is in session, and cross-examination of the complainant continues. We'll have full coverage throughout the day on all @GlobalBC platforms.

Virtanen's defence attempted to cast doubt on the complainant's credibility, memory, and recall on Tuesday. Once again today, testimony has veered towards her recollection of the layout of the @WestinBayshore hotel room where the alleged sexual assault occurred in 2017. @GlobalBC

A key sticking point for the defence in cross-examination, today and Tuesday, is the complainant's recall of what she's referred to as a 'balcony' in the suite; she had testified Virtanen came up behind her, kissed her neck, while she was looking over the balcony. @GlobalBC /1

Defence is now showing photos of the suite to the jury, claiming there is no conventional balcony—just a sliding glass door with a railing. Complainant responds, "that's what I consider a balcony." This was a sticking point in cross-examination late Tuesday, too. @GlobalBC /2

Defence now taking aim at the complainant's previous testimony that she and Virtanen watched @netflix before the alleged sexual assault. Defence suggests the @WestinBayshore did not have @netflix capability on its televisions on the night the pair spent there in 2017. @GlobalBC

Defence now asking the complainant about the morning of September 27, 2017—after the pair spent the night together at the @WestinBayshore. Neither side disputes the pair spent the night inside suite 526. At issue is if there was consent for any alleged sexual encounter. @GlobalBC

Defence asks complainant how she felt when Virtanen declined to drive her back home in the morning, citing he had to get to @Canucks practice—giving her cash for a cab instead. More money than she would have needed. @GlobalBC

Complainant: “I felt degraded, that he could just toss money at me and leave."

Defence: "Did you feel like you were being used for sex?"

Complainant: "Yeah."

Defence: "Did you feel like it was, for him, only about sex?"

Complainant: "Absolutely."

@GlobalBC

Virtanen's defence, Brock Martland—senior counsel for the Cullen Commission, among other high profile cases—is prominent, and very effective at his job. On Tuesday, his tone in cross-examination was somewhat gentle; there's a tangible change in his approach today. @GlobalBC

Defence is taking aim at the complainant's initial filing of a civil complaint in this case—rather than a criminal one. Was she motivated by money, he asks? The complainant responds she initially did not know that the civil case would be separate from a criminal case.
@GlobalBC

Defence pressing accuser on alleged financial motivation behind civil suit:

Her: “I didn’t even know how much money would come from that."

Him: "Well, it would be millions."

Her: "The amount of trauma and stress I’ve been through—it isn’t worth any amount of money."

@GlobalBC

A name that is coming up in testimony today, and has come up repeatedly in the past two days of trial, is @AlannaKellyNews—a reporter who initially broke the story of the complainant's allegations. Kelly is not in attendance at, or covering the trial, this week. @GlobalBC

Cross-examination has recommenced after a short break. Defence asks the complainant about her correspondence with the operator(s) of an @instagram account called Survivor Stories Project, where her allegations were first made public—without naming Virtanen explicitly. @GlobalBC

Defence now questioning the complainant about her current boyfriend of ~5 years—asking why she didn't disclose in earlier testimony that he was also a hockey player in college. Her boyfriend has been beside her during testimony the past two days; today he can't be here. @GlobalBC

Defence accuses complainant of being angry:

Defence: "Do you hate Jake Virtanen?"

Complainant: "I, honestly, yes."

Defence: "You’re angry at him?"

Complainant: "I think I’ve dealt with that anger now."

Defence: "You want him to be convicted?"

Complainant: "Yes."

@GlobalBC

A note about the complainant’s current relationship, as several people have already commented on the timeline: on the first day of testimony, the complainant said she and her current partner had not yet started dating at the time of her encounter with Virtanen; they were friends.

https://twitter.com/smacdonald__/status/1549829811429707776

Cross-examination of the complainant is now focusing on her current boyfriend, who she says she started dating in the fall of 2017—shortly after her encounter with Virtanen. Complainant questions the relevance of this line of questioning. @GlobalBC

Jake Virtanen's accuser gets emotional on the stand during cross-examination when asked by defence why she didn't "invent an excuse"—like having a yeast infection or menstruation—to avoid a sexual interaction with Virtanen on the night of September 26, 2017. @GlobalBC

Complainant responds, growing emotional: “I thought saying 'no, I don’t want to do this, I don’t want to do this'—and physically pushing [Virtanen] off of me—was enough. What else did I have to say?" @GlobalBC