A Yorkton man has been found guilty of sexual assault.
Kenneth Hasper was found guilty of the lone charge of sexual assault in Court of Queen’s Bench in Yorkton. The charges stem from an incident on June 23 of 2017.
The issue at the center of the case came down to consent, specifically whether or not the victim had consented to the act, or, if not, whether Hasper had an honest but mistaken belief in consent. The defense had argued that the victim had consented to the act due to her actions. The prosecution, meanwhile, argued that consent was not given and that Hasper did not take reasonable steps to obtain consent.
Hasper did admit to groping the victim, which qualified as sexual assault, but his defense argued that the acts following were consensual.
The court found that the crown had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim did not have the ability to consent at the time of the offense, and that there were no grounds for Hasper to believe he had consent.
As a result, Hasper was found guilty as charged.
Sentencing in the case will take place on May 28.
