Sexual assault victim tells Halifax judge about suicide attempts, PTSD

A young woman who was sexually assaulted by a classmate at Dalhousie University in Halifax says she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has attempted suicide twice in the past year.

The woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, read from a victim impact statement today during a sentencing hearing for Chris Davidson, a Calgary man who in February was found guilty by a jury of sexual assault and unlawful confinement.

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Court heard Davidson and the woman – both first-year students at the university – had consumed several vodka shots in her room and were about to have sex when Davidson, then 18, said something about waiting to get married before having sex with his girlfriend.

The woman, then 17, testified that she asked Davidson to stop but he persisted – though he later claimed he blacked out and had no memory of what happened.

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Crown attorney Glenn Hubbard is seeking a three-year prison sentence, but defence lawyer William Leahey says his client should spend two years in a federal penitentiary.

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Glen McDougall reserved his decision until Tuesday.