Charges stayed against pair accused of abducting teen girl
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/05/2024 (836 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Charges have been stayed against two men accused of abducting a teenage girl at random and abusing her last September.
Court records show the Crown stayed charges against Cory Lee Whalen, 40, and Shawn Ryan Leslie, 39, last month.
Winnipeg police said the teen had been walking on Portage Avenue near Sturgeon Road late on Sept. 24, 2023, when she was forced into a vehicle at knifepoint. Police said she was taken to an apartment in the city centre, where she was drugged, then sexually and physically assaulted over several hours, before she managed to escape.
FACEBOOK Cory Lee Whalen, 40, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault, assault with a weapon, kidnapping, administering a noxious thing, forcible confinement and failing to comply with a probation order, among other offences. 2023
Whalen was apprehended a few days later and charged with three counts of sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault, assault with a weapon, kidnapping, administering a noxious thing, forcible confinement and failing to comply with a probation order.
In February, investigators charged Leslie with sexual assault based on forensic evidence.
No justice officials have provided an explanation about why the Crown decided to stay the charges, despite requests from the Free Press.
Crown prosecutor Katie Dojack asked provincial court Judge Michael Clark for the stays of proceedings on all charges against Whalen at a brief hearing on April 23.
“The Crown has a continuing obligation to assess the reasonable likelihood of conviction and public interest in proceeding with respect to the charges that are laid,” said Dojack at the hearing.
“After the arrest of Mr. Whalen, the investigation continued while the Crown continued to assess the evidence provided in this case… The Crown has now determined that there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction and is therefore entering a stay of proceeding on all charges on the docket.”
The sex assault charge laid against Leslie was stayed on April 19, records show. The stay was entered on an office docket, meaning no explanation was given on the public record.
A provincial government spokesman, speaking on behalf of the Crown’s office, would not provide a further explanation this week.
Whalen’s lawyer, Barry Sinder, did not return calls.
The Winnipeg Police Service didn’t comment about the status of the case.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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Updated on Monday, May 27, 2024 9:05 AM CDT: Adds SEO headline