Guilty verdict for Kamloops man who sexually assaulted friend in city hotel room

Calling his story “a complete fabrication by a desperate man,” a judge has found a Kamloops man guilty of raping his friend in a city hotel room.

The man’s name cannot be published under a court-ordered ban put in place to protect the identity of his victim, with whom he worked at a long-term care home prior to the Oct. 8, 2019, incident.

Court heard the victim and the attacker were both involved in rocky relationships at the time. The victim, who lived in Merritt, was visiting Kamloops and staying at a motel.

During a conversation on Snapchat, the attacker told the victim he was in an argument with his live-in girlfriend. The victim invited him to her motel room — with a warning.

“This is not an invite for any sexual activity,” she said in a message, a copy of which was shown in court.

“I know inviting a dude to a hotel kind of has that innuendo.”

In a reply, the attacker assured the victim he was not looking to hook up.

“I know, I wasn’t expecting it,” he said.

When he arrived, the two began talking about their relationships. In his testimony, the attacker described the conversation as “flirty” and about sex.

She fell asleep and woke up to find the attacker on top of her engaged in intercourse.

“I let it happen because I didn’t know what else to do,” she said in court.

The victim said the attacker then put on a sleep apnea mask and went to bed. When he did, she went to Royal Inland Hospital.

In a Snapchat conversation that morning, the attacker apologized.

“I’m sorry I sexually assaulted you,” he said.

In his testimony, the attacker said he later “replayed” the night’s events and realized he had not actually raped his friend. He claimed the sex was consensual.

Kamloops provincial court Judge Chris Cleaveley said Monday he did not buy the man’s story, calling it “a complete fabrication.”

Cleaveley said there was no way for the victim to consent because she was sleeping.

“[He] went to the motel room with more on his mind than just talking,” he said, calling his words to the victim “virtue signalling.”

“It’s obvious the messages were sent by a very desperate [man.]”

Lawyers are expected to return to court on May 3 to set a date for sentencing.

The attacker remains free on bail.