{
  "id": 15681536,
  "title": "Sex assault charges stayed after youth admits lying",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/sex-assault-charges-stayed-after-youth-admits-lying",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T01:28:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2026/10/19/sex-assault-charges-stayed-after-youth-admits-lying"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Brandon, Canada, charges against a 22-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl were stayed mid-trial after the youth admitted during cross-examination that she had been lying about the incident. Defense lawyer Bob Harrison questioned the victim about her fears of getting in trouble if she spoke the truth, to which she replied, \"Yes.\" The court adjourned for 15 minutes before the Crown attorney announced that the charges of sexual assault and sexual interference would be stayed, and the accused would sign a peace bond prohibiting him from contacting the girl. The girl, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified via video conference from a child-friendly room in the courthouse. She claimed that two men asked for her and her friend's Snapchat usernames, and she agreed to meet them later that night at a Popeyes restaurant. The group later went to an abandoned house, where the accused allegedly sexually assaulted her. She said she tried to stop him, but he continued. The next morning, she informed her group home and her mother, and reported the incident to the police. During cross-examination, the girl admitted that she had lied about her age to the accused, initially telling him she was 15, even though she was 13 at the time.",
  "summary": "BRANDON — Charges were stayed mid-trial for a man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in an abandoned house after the youth admitted during cross-examination she was lying about […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Charges against 22-year-old man stayed mid-trial",
    "Victim admitted lying about age and incident details",
    "Accused to sign peace bond, prohibited from contacting victim"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The mid-trial dismissal of these charges highlights the fragility of criminal prosecutions when the central testimony of a complainant is undermined by admissions of dishonesty during cross-examination.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}