A South Okanagan convicted sex offender on trial for another alleged incident has been found not guilty.
Ronald Teneycke, 50, had been accused of sexually assaulting and unlawfully confining a hitchhiker in 2011.
On Friday, the judge delivered a verdict of not guilty.
The judge found Teneycke not guilty on two counts of sexual assault and one count of unlawful confinement and dismissed one count of sexual assault with a weapon and one count of breach of probation.
He said the complainant was unreliable and while he does not doubt the truthfulness of the testimony, the judge notes it could not be relied on due to the complainant’s intoxicated state.
The judge said Teneycke’s testimony was at some points reliable and truthful; however he said he had serious doubts about what really happened at the pump house where the alleged assault occurred.
But he adds some of Teneycke’s testimony about what happened at the pump house was unconvincing and at the verge of nonsense at some points, however the judge said the standard of proof was not met.
The judge said that there were suspicions about Teneycke’s testimony that left a fragile, lingering doubt.
Teneycke has a history of sexual violence; prior to the alleged incident, he served more than a decade behind bars for raping an Okanagan woman.
He was released following the verdict.
More details to come.
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