John De Ruiter and his wife Leigh Ann, shown in 2014.Facebook
The sexual-assault trial of Alberta spiritual leader John de Ruiter and his wife, Leigh Ann, is facing a lengthy adjournment, just weeks before the trial was set to begin.
The couple’s jury trial on six counts of sexual assault had been set to start in Edmonton in January, but is now slated to begin in the fall. It’s expected to last more than four months.
Mr. de Ruiter’s defence lawyer, Dino Bottos, confirmed that the trial is now set to begin in September, 2026, and is expected to last well into 2027. Mr. Bottos declined to comment further.
Mr. de Ruiter, now 66, and his wife Leigh Ann, now 67, were arrested by the Edmonton Police Service in 2023, and charged with four counts of sexual assault against women who were part of Mr. de Ruiter’s community of followers in the College of Integrated Philosophy or Oasis group.
The Oasis Centre, where spiritual leader John de Ruiter holds meetings with his followers, in Edmonton, in May, 2017.JASON FRANSON/The Globe and Mail
The charges related to alleged assaults of four women between 2017 and 2020. Four additional charges were laid after those allegations became public, but two of those have since been stayed.
Mr. and Ms. de Ruiter now each face six charges of sexual assault. Both remain out on bail under a number of conditions.
Jury selection for the trial is slated to start on Sept. 12, with the trial beginning on Sept. 14.