Closing arguments heard in attempted murder trial for 2015 attack in Lethbridge

Closing arguments were heard Tuesday in an attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault trial stemming from an attack on a woman in Lethbridge in 2015.

On May 3, 2015, a 17-year-old male was charged with the offences after a 45-year-old woman was attacked in the Palm Road area of Lethbridge.

Police said the woman was asleep when she was sexually assaulted. She also had her throat cut. The woman survived but later died of an unrelated cause.

The defence told the court Tuesday that it has concerns about their inability to cross-examine the victim and her stepfather who witnessed the alleged attack, as they are both deceased.

The defence also argued DNA evidence on the accused’s tank top may have come from a five-person fight a week earlier that could have involved the victim and the accused.

The Crown countered by saying the four-on-one altercation, in which the accused only received scratches, seemed unbelievable, “like a slapstick kung fu movie.”

The Crown also said the stepfather of the victim was within arm’s reach of the accused at the time of the incident, and when he was later shown a picture of the accused by police, he said, “That’s him. He raped my daughter.”

Global News spoke with the family of the victim on Tuesday. They said they’re happy the three-year-old case is finally nearing conclusion.

The victim’s sister said she hopes the accused is receiving counselling and is not released.

The accused is now 20 years old but was a minor at the time of the alleged incident. As a result, the names of both the accused and the victim are subject to a publication ban.