Man accused of assault testifies he is the victim

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This article was published 03/05/2018 (2883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man accused of strangling his girlfriend denied the allegations in court, saying he was only protecting himself when she attacked him.

Ralph Sacco, 64, pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and uttering threats against former partner, Arlene Johnson, 59. At his trial the defence presented its own case to the jury, portraying Sacco as the victim. Sacco denied choking or assaulting Johnson. He admitted he pushed her away while they argued once in 2016, causing her to fall to the floor, but Sacco testified he didn’t mean to hurt her and suggested her wine consumption was to blame for the fall.

Johnson was diagnosed with a suspected tailbone fracture at the Health Sciences Centre two days after the alleged incident. She testified Monday Sacco strangled her until she lost consciousness after she confronted him about a photo of him with another woman. She said she then went to the bathroom and he tried to break in, threatened her with a screwdriver, grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the floor. She testified he choked her again the next day, and she went to the hospital after calling her son to pick her up.

 

Sacco testified Johnson broke his laptop and cellphone during their argument over a photo. He said he held her wrists to stop her from “coming at me” before pushing her away. He said he packed her belongings and repeatedly asked her to leave his condo after their argument, but said she didn’t leave until several days later after he threatened to call police. He testified she’d said “Are you sure you want to do this?” when he asked her to leave. He said he thought she was asking about the breakup, but that her words stuck with him.

“Just to be clear, why did you hold Ms. Johnson’s wrists and then push her back a couple of times?” defence lawyer Eric Wach asked Sacco on Tuesday.

“Because she was attacking me,” Sacco replied when he testified.

When Crown prosecutor Mark Kantor asked why Sacco’s testimony in court about what happened seemed more detailed than his initial statement to police, Sacco said he “abbreviated” when he gave his video statement. “I was just abbreviating things. I didn’t think it would get this far,” he said.

In addition to the accused’s testimony, five witnesses were called to the stand by the defence. The witnesses included two former Winnipeg Police Service officers. One of them, a friend of Sacco’s, David Black, testified he drove Sacco to the police station after Johnson made the allegations. He said he saw scratch marks “like gouges” along Sacco’s neck down to his chest, and questioned why police didn’t take a photo of his injuries when they questioned him.

Former officer Gary Honey was called to give character evidence about aggression he said he experienced during his relationship with Johnson. Honey testified Johnson scratched his face during an argument while they were together, and another time hit him with his own shoes which led to him calling the police to “mediate.”

Johnson previously testified she used to work for the Winnipeg Police Service. Honey said he believed she’d threatened to make false allegations against him. He testified Johnson said ‘Remember, I used to work there, I know exactly what to say to the police. I could have you out of here in a heartbeat.’”

During cross-examination, Kantor suggested Honey’s testimony was motivated by revenge against Johnson.

“I don’t have vengeance, I don’t feel revenge. I don’t want to be here.” he said.

Jurors are set to hear closing arguments on Thursday.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay