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The trial for Saskatoon businessman Nowshad Ali started on Monday.
Ali is charged with sexual interference and sexual assault.
He didn’t show much expression as the alleged victim, now 21, testified from behind a one-way screen as she clutched a stuffed animal.
Through tears, she told court Ali touched her on two separate occasions during the summer of 2005 when she was 10 years old.
She said it happened when Ali and his wife were babysitting her. She said memories of some of the specifics of the alleged incidents didn’t come back to her until some years later. She said she felt compelled to bring the matter to the RCMP in 2013 out of concern for other children who might come into contact with Ali.
The girl testified that she avoided being alone with Ali after the incidents
Ron Piché, Ali’s defence lawyer, showed court two pictures and a video of the girl and Ali appearing happy to be spending time together, with the video showing the two alone together in a vehicle.
During his examination of Ali, Piché asked when the photos and video were taken. Ali said that the automatically-generated file names indicated all were taken in either 2006 or 2007, after the alleged incidents. He also noted that in one photo, he’s seen wearing a sweater commemorating the Saskatoon Centennial, which was in 2006.
Under cross-examination from Crown prosecutor Barbara Herder, Ali categorically denied the allegations that he touched the girl. He described feeling torn apart when he first heard that the girl was accusing him of inappropriate behaviour, but said he never directly discussed the issue with the girl.
Court is expected to hear closing arguments in the case on Thursday morning.
