A defence lawyer is questioning a young Halifax woman about her decision to sleep in a room with four British sailors in the barracks of a military base, and a kiss she gave one of the men.
The complainant confirmed she felt fearful at 12 Wing Shearwater near Halifax on the evening of April 9, 2015, after she lost her friend, and she reiterated that she did not leave the barracks because she did not want to abandon her friend.
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The young woman has testified in Nova Scotia Supreme Court that she decided to sleep in the room with four men next to a sailor, as it was where she had been hanging out earlier in the evening and was the only room that was familiar to her.
She has told the court she gave the sailor sleeping next to her a goodnight kiss, as if to say “thank you” for letting her sleep there, and when she awoke she was being sexually assaulted by at least three men.
Defence lawyer Ian Hutchison appeared to suggest Tuesday that she could have slept in the hallway of the barracks, the lobby, or on the floor of barracks room rather than in the bed.
The complainant became emotional and said: “You’re not going to feel safe no matter what you do… When you’re in a barrack room with four men, stupid me thought I had some sense of security.”