by A judge is due to deliver his verdict today in the case of a Glace Bay man and former CBU administrator who’s charged with sex offences involving an underage girl.
60 year-old John Shea McInnis faces single counts of sexual assault and sexual interference with a person under 16, as well as invitation to sexual touching involving a person under 16 and committing an indecent act to a person under 16.
McInnis is the former director of Cape Breton University’s recruitment and marketing division.
He’s accused of committing the offences between 2000 and 2006 in Glace Bay when the female complainant was between the ages of eight and 13.
She’s now 22 and her name is banned from publication, along with any information that could identify her.
During the course of the trial, the Crown called 14 witnesses, while the defence called three: McInnis’ wife and two daughters.
McInnis did not testify.
During closing arguments in August, defence lawyer David Iannetti summed up the case by saying that the testimony of the complainant was contradictory and riddled with inconsistencies.
Meanwhile, Crown attorney Stephen Melnick cited a 2012 Supreme Court decision in Sydney that found that inconsistencies should be considered in the context of the age of witnesses and the length of time between the events and testimony.