The decision to stop the case in the Supreme Court of BC. in Prince George follows the cross-examination of the complainant on four counts of non-consensual intercourse dating back to 1974. After a morning of confrontation, the alleged victim, who was visibly upset, asked for an early recess, granted by Terence Schultes, after breaking down in tears during questioning by John’s defense attorney, Tony Paisana. Paisana had said there were inconsistencies between the statements she provided to authorities about the alleged assaults, which were said to have occurred when John was executive director of the Doh Day De Claa Friendship Center, where his accuser had a summer job. The woman replied that the discrepancies were due to her stress and that the memories became clearer as she talked about them. “I didn’t lie on purpose,” he said. The woman expressed her frustration at Paisana’s questioning, prompting Schultes to step in to try to calm her down. The trial is being held this week in Prince George’s court. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC) Nearly an hour into the procedure Tuesday morning, he said, “Sorry, I need a break.” Prosecutor Michael Klein met with the woman in an interview room, and when Klein returned to the courtroom about an hour later, he told Schultes that the case would not proceed against John, who pleaded not guilty. The District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the charges were being stayed because the standard for evaluating the charge, which required a substantial likelihood of conviction, was no longer met. John, a lawyer and hereditary chief of the Tl’azt’en Nation, was appointed to the BC Cabinet and served as Minister for the Department of Children in the New Democrat government between November 2000 and June 2001. In a brief statement outside the courthouse, Paisana said John is “relieved to have his name cleared and relieved to be able to get on with the rest of his life.” Paisana said John regretted missing the pope’s visit this week because of the trial.
