Mantha Convicted on Six Charges in Sex Trade Attacks

0:00A Calbury man in his early 60s named Richard Mantha, just got hit with guilty verdicts on serious charges tied to attacks on women working in the sex trade. He faced accusations of grabbing them, drugging them, and assaulting them at a rural spot east of the city from September 2020 to March. 2023. The judge called the proof against him overwhelming after a long courtroom battle. The case started with 20 charges but narrowed to 16 counts from six women since one alleged victim had passed away. During the trial, six charges got dropped right away and four more were dismissed in the end. Mantha pleaded not guilty from the jump and never testified himself. Delays dragged the whole thing out for over two years thanks to his health issues like two strokes and about with COVID that locked him in. Isolation. He swapped out multiple lawyers and even pushed for a French language trial before it all went down in English. The decision hinged on how solid the women's stories held up. On Tuesday, Justice Judith Shriar nailed him on six counts, hitting specifics like sexual assault, slipping them bad substances, threats, assault with.

1:08A weapon, and choking during assaults, that leaves no doubt about the core claims sticking. Since it's coming up soon, but no dates set yet, so we'll keep eyes on what comes next for Mantha and the Justice rolling out here. That's your update from Calgary News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.