Friday promises to be a busy, important and interesting day at the Yellowknife Courthouse with two high profile verdicts expected and two separate significant sentencings.
A Ndilo man is to learn the verdict after his Supreme Court trial earlier this year on two counts of sexual assault and two forcible confinement charges.
A Yellowknife man will learn his fate after a Supreme Court sexual assault trial earlier this summer.
In another case, the warden of the North Slave Correctional Centre has been subpoenaed to tell a Territorial Court judge what, if anything the NWT Corrections Department can do to help a repeat sexual offender from Tuktoyaktuk who suffers from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
And in a fourth case, a Behchoko man is to be sentenced after he reportedly gambled away tens of thousands of dollars he pleaded guilty to stealing from a community agency he used to work for in that community.
Peter Tsetta, 50, will learn his fate after he was accused of sexually assaulting two women who he allegedly confined inside his home in Ndilo on two separate occasions in 2017.
His judge-alone trial heard graphic, disturbing testimony from a witness who testified Tsetta forced her to have sex with him several times over several hours.
Tsetta’s other alleged victim essentially testified “from beyond the grave” because she died after Tsetta’s alleged attack on her.
Court heard a recording she provided to police before her death.
The case made major headlines back in the summer of 2017.
Women’s advocates were outraged that RCMP stated in a news release that they were looking for Tsetta but that he was not considered a threat to public safety.
The release came out after the first alleged attack but before Tsetta allegedly reoffended with the exact same offences.
They were also upset that Tsetta was granted bail after very serious charges only to be accused later of reoffending in the same manner.
Later in the day in Supreme Court, Alden Lennie, 35, of Yellowknife is to receive a verdict after his sexual assault trial earlier this summer.
Lennie made news back in January after he failed to show up for his trial the day after a jury was selected.
That forced a mistrial to be declared.
His latest trial was in front of a judge alone.
Next door in Territorial Court, the NWT’s newest judge Donovan Molloy has summoned NSCC Warden John Nahanni to court to fill him in on what services are available for Gilbert Katigakyok, 25, of Tuktoyaktuk.
Molloy did not want to sentence the repeat sexual offender with FASD to time served which was a joint recommendation from the Crown prosecutor and Katigakyok’s lawyer Peter Harte.
Molloy said he was not comfortable in sending the man back to Tuk without trying to get him counselling and treatment first.
Harte says he’s all for that as long as his client doesn’t have to serve more time in custody.
Harte has long voiced his frustration with lack of services at NWT corrections facilities for prisoners with FASD.
Molloy is to also sentence Joseph Beaverho, 64, after the Behchoko man pleaded guilty to defrauding the Tlicho Community Services Agency of more than $120,000.
A joint sentencing recommendation is calling for two years house arrest.
CKLB expects to be at all four cases.
Watch this space and listen to CKLB Radio for updates.
