Woman says ‘justice’ in sexual assault case came at personal cost
HALIFAX — Shannon Graham garnered national attention when she voiced regrets about reporting her sexual assault.
And while the 22-year-old Nova Scotia woman says ultimately “justice was served” by the courts, she maintains it came at such a personal cost she would have been better off had she never gone to the authorities.
Graham made headlines last year after successfully challenging a publication ban on her identity so she could speak freely about her gruelling journey through the justice system while the man convicted of sexually assaulting her was released from prison pending appeal.
In a decision released last week, Nova Scotia’s highest court dismissed Jared Peter Beck-Wentzell’s appeal, rejecting his claims that the trial judge misunderstood evidence and failed to consider the defence of honest but mistaken belief in consent.