An Edmonton woman who says she was held hostage for seven days and repeatedly forced to have sex spent two hours Thursday on the witness stand, while a defence lawyer tried to rip her story to shreds.
C.M. was a sex trade worker when she met Ryan Dechambre and agreed to have sex with him for money.
She alleged the accused kidnapped her and took her to his north-Edmonton home, where she was forced to have sex with Dechambre at least 10 times against her will. He said she locked naked in a closet off and on throughout her ordeal.
The 52-year old woman told Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Paul Belzil on Wednesday about the harrowing ordeal she said she endured in July 2016. The woman can only be identified by her initials C.M., due to a court-ordered publication ban.
Dechambre, 30, is now on trial for robbery, kidnapping, sexual assault with threats to cause bodily harm, extortion, two counts of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace, assault with a weapon, uttering threats and unlawful confinement.
He sat in the prisoner’s box on Thursday wearing a bright-orange jumpsuit, leaning his head against the wood-panelled wall with a slight smile on his face. Dechambre watched intently as his lawyer tried to tear holes in C.M.’s story.
During cross-examination, C.M. told lawyer Dale Knisely that a couple of days before she met the accused she had a fight with her boyfriend, and was staying with someone else. Knisely suggested C.M. was in search of more stable accommodation.
“He asked you if you wanted to stay at his place, and you agreed to that,” the defence lawyer suggested.
“That’s not true,” C.M. answered.
Knisely tried again.
“Your living situation was uncertain, and when Mr. Dechambre offered you an opportunity to leave where you were, you agreed,” Knisely said. “But at some point you changed your mind.”
C.M. alleges she was locked inside the small bedroom closet on the left. (Edmonton Police Service )
C.M. denied the allegation.
However, the woman admitted she “probably” told Dechambre she had no children because she could barely take care of herself. She also agreed she “probably” told Dechambre she had been abusing drugs for 25 years and wanted to quit.
She said after she spent five days as a captive in the house, Dechambre offered to let her rent the downstairs apartment from him.
She said she told him she’d think about it.
“I said whatever I could to appease him,” she testified. “I had no intentions of moving there. I wanted to get out of that house. So I’d say anything to make him happy.”
Defence tries to portray C.M. as the aggressor
The defence lawyer asked a series of rapid-fire questions.
“I’m going to suggest you wanted to get some drugs and you were sweating and belligerent,” Knisely said.
“No,” C.M. answered.
Defence lawyer Dale Knisely (Twitter )
“Did you take off your clothes because you were sweating so hard?”
“No.”
“Did you grab a knife and demand to be taken to your dealer?”
“No.”
“Did you threaten to kill yourself?”
“No.”
“Did he tell you he would call the police?”
“On me?” C.M. asked incredulously. “No. I wish he would have.”
Finally, Knisely suggested that after C.M. was let go she made up a story about being confined to explain to her boyfriend where she had been for a week.
C.M. denied the suggestion that she wasn’t held against her will.
Closing arguments are expected to be heard Friday morning.