Alleged misconduct by an Alberta Crown prosecutor and a delay in taking the case to trial has resulted in a total of 12 charges of sexual assault being stayed against self-styled spiritual leader John de Ruiter and his wife, Leigh Ann.
The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service has declined to answer specific questions about the sudden collapse of the prosecution, but said in a statement that multiple prosecutors who reviewed the file found there was “no viable path forward.”
“This decision was not made lightly,” reads a statement sent by Alberta Justice spokeswoman Michelle Davio on Friday morning. “We understand that it may be deeply unsatisfying for those who took part in the process, particularly given the seriousness of the allegations.”
Ms. Davio’s statement said an internal review is under way “to examine what occurred and to help ensure that a situation like this does not happen in the future.”
Charges against de Ruiter to be stayed, Crown tells complainants
Mr. de Ruiter’s lawyer, Dino Bottos, was more pointed in his account of why the case collapsed, telling reporters that the de Ruiters were “the victims of an overzealous prosecution or an overzealous prosecutor.”
“Before the case gets tested in court, there’s always this perception in the public that the accused must be guilty and got off on a technicality,” he said, speaking at a press conference at his office in downtown Edmonton on Friday. “This should not be the public’s view here. The defence was ready, willing and able to proceed to trial.”
He and Zachary Al-Khatib, who represents Ms. de Ruiter, said they are seeking to remove publication bans on certain pretrial proceedings, which would allow them to reveal more information about the situation that led to the charges being stayed.
The defence team is also considering making formal complaints to disciplinary bodies and seeking financial compensation for the de Ruiters, Mr. Bottos said.
The de Ruiters had been facing a total of 12 counts of sexual assault against six women who once believed Mr. de Ruiter to be their spiritual leader and “the living embodiment of truth.”
The charges were laid in 2023, and had been set for trial in September. The de Ruiters pleaded not guilty to all charges.
John de Ruiter is seen in an undated photograph.Supplied
The stay was issued on Friday by acting chief Crown prosecutor James Pickard, and effectively ceases all prosecution against the couple.
One of the women the de Ruiters were accused of sexually assaulting told The Globe and Mail she reacted to news that all the charges were being stayed with “a combination of grief, feeling defeated and then feeling immense rage.”
“There’s a lot of confusion. We feel like there’s no accountability,” said the woman, whose name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban. “It doesn’t seem right. It feels like something is not being shared with us, like the whole story just doesn’t actually make sense to us.”
She said the women now feel like they are “victims of the system.”
In court on Friday afternoon, prosecutors asked Justice Avril Inglis to remove the publication bans on two of the complainants’ names, at the women’s request. The women were not in court for the request, which was granted.
A statement released by the Edmonton Police Service expressed disappointment, and said the organization’s “thoughts are with the incredibly courageous complainants who came forward to report what they experienced.”
“Reporting sexual assault is daunting, especially when the accused is in a perceived position of power,” it read. “The Edmonton Police Service takes these reports seriously, and as in this case, our specialized sexual assault detectives are meticulous in their efforts to build a case that can proceed to prosecution.”
But Mr. Bottos and Mr. Al-Khatib say the stay isn’t a victory for the de Ruiters, who were ready to proceed to trial and have now lost the chance to have the allegations tested in court.
Mr. Bottos said when an accused has their charges stayed or withdrawn, “they are still in the hole. They are in the hole financially. There’s a spectre of guilt, or at least suspicion, over their heads that could remain throughout their whole lives.”
“The de Ruiters have suffered a great deal,” he said. “They’ve been under very strict bail conditions for over three years now, and it’s been stressful for everybody. I hope the public understands that.”