A trial is underway in BC Supreme Court in Kelowna for a man accused of sexually assaulting two women while they were asleep.
In August 2016 in a Highland Drive North home in Kelowna, the two co-workers were napping on a mattress on the living room floor after watching a movie.
They called 9-1-1 after waking up to find a stranger in the bed between them.
One of the complainants testified Thursday she felt something moving between her legs, stopping at her genital area.
She thought it might have been her small dog or her friend. But when she lifted the covers, there was a man she didn’t recognize smiling back at her. She asked him what he was doing there.
The witness testified the stranger replied “I’m here with a friend and pointed to the couch which was empty. I said ‘no you’re not’. Then I said ‘you need to leave.'”
The man did just that, allegedly with his pants part way down.
Nearby and not long afterwards, Shea Robert Gardecki was arrested by RCMP with the assistance of a police service dog.
He’s charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of breaking and entering with intent to commit sexual assault.
In the courtroom, the witness identified Gardecki as the man who was curled up in the bed next to her.
In cross examination, the defence lawyer questioned the complainant whether it was light or dark in the room, how long the touching went on for, how quickly the suspect left and what time of day it all happened. She was vague about some of the details.
But when it was suggested she had been drinking alcohol before the incident and thought the whole thing was a joke, the witness firmly replied “no”.
The trial is scheduled for eight days.