WARNING: This story contains graphic content. Discretion is advised.
There was another delay in sentencing Friday for two brothers convicted of kidnapping and repeatedly raping a 17-year-old girl in Calgary.
Corey and Cody Manyshots pleaded guilty to the November 2014 kidnapping and sexual assault of the teen last fall.
In July, a sentencing hearing was cut short to allow defence lawyers more time to explore whether mental health issues are an issue for the brothers. On Friday, those same issues caused further delays.
Both defence teams have raised concerns that their clients have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). They told court they could get genetic testing done to confirm the diagnosis, adding it’s an expensive process and there are funding problems for the brothers.
The judge agreed to adjourn the case to explore further. It is set to be back before the courts Dec. 8.
A rare “community impact statement” was read on behalf of the Taradale Community Association—the community from where the victim was kidnapped.
Rachelle Christopher broke down as she said: “Whenever I walk or drive by that bus stop, my heart aches.”
At the back of the court room, the father of the Manyshots brothers swore during her statement, saying “bullsh—t” in response to some of her comments.
Watch below: A Calgary judge refused to hear a victim impact statement in a case that involves two brothers who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping a teenage girl. Global’s Nancy Hixt reports.
In July, the Crown finished its submissions and asked for a 12-year sentence for each of the brothers, minus credit for time served.
READ MORE: Calgarians support proposed 12-year sentence for convicted rapists Corey and Cody Manyshots
Cody’s defence lawyer asked for six years minus (enhanced) credit-leaving approximately four years left to serve. Corey asked for time served (at enhanced 1.5 credit) plus two years.
The prosecution told court the victim has said she “will never be the same again.” The judge acknowledged obvious emotional, physical and psychological damage.
Agreed statement of facts describes horrific attack
Details of the horrific events are documented in an agreed statement of facts.
The teenage girl was watching movies with a friend the night of the attack. Her friend walked her to a bus stop a few houses away and waited with her for some time. It was cold that night, so she told him he could go home.
As he left, two men approached her. Corey and Cody Manyshots asked the girl for directions. She was uneasy and twice tried to dial the cellphone she held in her hand. Both calls failed.
The brothers grabbed her and forced her into a nearby alley. Corey smashed her phone.
Watch below: Cody and Corey Manyshots made surprise guilty pleas in a horrifying case of abuse. The brothers admit to kidnapping and sexually assaulting a young girl in November 2014. Global’s Nancy Hixt reports. WARNING: The details may be disturbing.
Each took a turn raping and sodomizing her; Corey forced her to perform oral sex. The two forced her to walk with them to their home in Martindale.
Manyshots’ father sat in the living room with another man as they brought the young girl into the house. She tried to look to the father for help, but no one intervened.
READ MORE: No charges to be laid against father of brothers who pleaded guilty to rape of Calgary teen
The brothers took her to the basement, threw her onto a makeshift bed and took turns raping and sodomizing her.
The girl told police she worried if she didn’t “take it” she would be killed.
Between the assaults, Corey cooked. His girlfriend and child were in also in the home and saw the young girl. The victim also watched them take drugs that she believed to be crack.
She waited until they were asleep, then snuck out the back door.
Once outside, she wrote on her hand the address, the name “Cody” and several words including “native” and “black and red shovel.”
With her cellphone gone, she caught a bus, CTrain and another bus until finally she could run home.
Her mother took her to a nearby police district where she described the brutal attack.
She was able to give directions for investigators, who drove her to the area where she was kidnapped and found the home in which she was held captive.
The teen was able to pick both Corey and Cody out of separate photo lineups. On Corey’s photo she wrote “this is the man.” On his brother’s photo, she wrote “Cody.”
“This is probably one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen…in terms of what people can do to each other. It’s just despicable,” Crown prosecutor Jonathan Hak said in October 2015 after the brothers pleaded guilty.
At the July hearing, the young girl made a request to have her victim impact statement read by the prosecutor on her behalf.
Provincial court judge Terry Semenuk ruled if the victim doesn’t read the statement herself, he will not allow it to be read at all. (The law allows victim impact statements to be read by someone else, including the prosecution, but it is at the judge’s discretion).
READ MORE: Judge’s decision on victim impact statement in Manyshots brothers’ case sparks public outrage
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