It was a packed courtroom Tuesday for closing arguments in the case of a man accused of sexually assaulting six teenage girls at the West Edmonton Mall water park last year.
The girls, who were between 13 and 15 years old at the time, accuse Soleiman Hajj Soleiman of inappropriately touching them in the wave pool in February 2017.
On Tuesday, two of the girls and their families were in the gallery, along with another victim’s family.
More than 30 supporters sat in the gallery, including many from the Urban Bulldogs Against Kid Abuse and Guardians of the Children, two biker organizations that advocate against child abuse.
A handful of supporters for Soleiman included a few sitting with his wife and some who sponsored their family as refugees from Syria.
With standing room only, the judge moved the proceedings to a larger courtroom. translation.
‘Six brave young ladies’
Crown prosecutor Laurie Trahan said among the 18 witnesses the court heard from during the trial were “six brave young ladies” who found the courage to report to staff, police and the court.
“Six complainants, your honour, pointed out the man that sexually assaulted them to authorities,” said Trahan.
Supporters of both sides comment on the trial of a man accused of sexual assault at the West Edmonton Mall waterpark. 0:43
Trahan said four of the six teens also positively identified the accused in court, and all the girls provided testimony that was “clear, truthful and reliable.”
Another witness positively identified Soleiman as “the man he saw ogle the teenage girls’ and “he was arrested at the scene,” she added.
But Soleiman’s defence lawyer, Adam Karbani argued “the evidence does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused touched any of the complainants that evening.”
Conditions such as the crowded wave pool and the brevity of the interaction could lead to misidentification, Karbani said, adding witnesses were mistaken about “key details” such as his height or whether he was bald or had a beard.
Karbani said Soleiman’s identification as the accused was already suggested before he was identified in court because he was seated between legal counsel and the interpreter, and he is a different race compared to the witnesses.
He said some girls may have initially identified Solieman because their friends had already done so, or discussed evidence later at a birthday party.
“The pointing (out) of the man by one girl may have influenced the other girls to point at the same man,” said Karbani.
‘We help families through this’
Outside the courtroom, Vinny Wilcox, president of the Edmonton chapter of the Urban Bulldogs Against Kids Abuse, said it was important to attend the proceedings, which also drew organization members from Wetaskiwin.
“That’s what both our chapters do — we help families through this,” said Wilcox.
He said his group works with other organizations such as the Little Warriors and the Zebra Child Protection Centre.
“Sure we all wear patches but we’re all one when it comes to the kids,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox’s group was invited by Debby Bibaud, a friend of one of the WEM victims who was at the waterpark that night and has been supporting the girls ever since.
“They showed up in huge droves — they’re just amazing,” said Bibaud, adding her friend was “so thankful.”
Dave Trautman said he’s attended all the proceedings to support Soleiman Hajj Soleiman and his family. (CBC/Peter Evans)
Dave Trautman, one of Soleiman’s sponsors, said he’s been to all of the proceedings to support the family and to show them that they can trust the Canadian justice system.
“Something terrible did happen, nobody is questioning that. And our guy was arrested for it,” said Trautman. “And then it comes to — do we have the right guy? Of course I’m going to say ‘no’ they don’t have the right guy. Other people are going to say ‘Well he’s the right guy we’ve just got to prove it.’
“And in Canada you’re not the right guy until they prove it.”
A decision on the case will be handed down July 6.