The trial of a man accused of having kidnapped and sexually assaulted seven women east of Calgary will continue when he was again tried to undergo his trial by an Alberta judge.
Richard Robert Mantha faces 20 accusations, including kidnapping, threats of bodily injury, armed sexual assault and administration of a harmful substance on women, most of whom worked in the sex trade in Calgary.
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He was arrested in 2023 but his trial, which started last year, was delayed after he dismissed his lawyer and the accused underwent a stroke a few months later.
A legislative psychiatrist evaluated Mantha to determine how the stroke had been able to affect his cognitive capacities and said that even if he had reduced verbal capacities, he was able to undergo his trial.
Mantha’s new lawyer has questioned the doctor’s evaluation and asked for an audience of aptitude, which ended last week.
Judge Judith Shriar judged that Mantha was sufficiently capable of communicating with her lawyer and the trial would resume on May 20.
& Copy 2025 The Canadian Press