A retired Calgary bus driver accused of sexual impropriety with a teenage girl took the stand in his own defence on Wednesday.
Paul Rene Desmarais, 63, faces charges of sexual assault, sexual interference with a child under 16, and sexual contact with a youth by a person in authority.
There is a publication ban on the identity of the complainant, as well as details of the alleged events which could reveal her identity.
Police said Desmarais befriended a 14-year-old girl in September 2007. Officers allege she was a regular on his route.
They believed he “groomed” her to get her alone on the buses.
The woman, who is now 24, testifed that from September 2007 to June 2008, a “casual” friendship with Desmarais transformed into one which culminated in a sexual encounter in the garage at his family home.
On Wednesday, Desmarais told the court he had a friendly, conversational acquaintance with the complainant, as he did with other passengers on the bus.
“I said ‘good morning’ to all the kids, and some would chat back and forth,” Desmarais said. “She started to join in on the conversation. I started to notice she started to ask questions like ‘are you married?’ I never thought anything of it.”
Desmarais said one of the first incidents of significance with the alleged victim was shortly after his birthday when he says she gave him a Starbucks gift card. The woman testified that she gave Desmarais the card on his birthday and it was for $30. Desmarais says it happened the week after he had told some passengers when his birthday was, and that he’d later discover the card was worth $50.
“I told her that was not right. You can’t give me a $50 gift card. It just didn’t seem right.”
Desmarais testified roughly two weeks later the woman had stayed on past her normal drop-off point, telling him she wanted to talk to him. He says later on as he was driving, she leaned forward to tell him, “I want you to be my first.”
“She looked at me and gave me a little smirk,” he said. “I looked at her and said ‘that ain’t going to happen.’”
He says she told him it was a fantasy of hers and that she liked older men.
Earlier on Wednesday, defence lawyer Joan Blumer took the position that none of the sexual incidents described by the complainant ever took place, instead putting forward the theory it was the complainant who pursued a sexual relationship with Desmarais. Blumer asserted that Desmarais rejected the advances.
During the course of a 2009 bus ride that the complainant denies took place, Blumer suggested the girl told Desmarais she would get a hotel room for the two of them now that she was 16-years-old and, “of age now.”
“He ignored you and didn’t respond in any way when you made that suggestion,” Blumer continued. “You said, ‘this is going to happen, this will happen, I get what I want, you will find out (what happens) when I don’t get what I want.’ Is that not correct?”
“I’m not a vindictive person,” replied the complainant. “That’s not how I treat people or talk to them.”
“I’m going to suggest all of this is an invention and entirely fabricated,” Blumer later said.
“No, this is what happened to me,” the complainant retorted. “This is my story.”
Desmarais will continue to testify when court resumes Thursday. The trial is scheduled to conclude that day, however due to timing issues closing arguments may be moved to a later date.
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