Man convicted of sex attack seeks legal records in bid to discredit victim
EDMONTON — A man convicted of sexually assaulting an indigenous woman whom the Crown had jailed and shackled to ensure her testimony has applied for legal records to try to discredit her as he seeks a mistrial.
Lance David Blanchard was found guilty in December of aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, possession of a weapon and making a death threat in the 2014 attack.
The victim, a 28-year-old homeless woman, died in 2015 in an unrelated shooting.
Tom Engel, Blanchard’s lawyer, has applied for the release of legal records that he contends contain new evidence that she was heavily addicted to drugs and was involved in criminal activity.