Supreme Court to hear questions in controversial Edmonton hotel killing case
OTTAWA — The case of an Ontario trucker acquitted in the death of an Alberta woman referred to at trial as a “native” and a “prostitute” is to go before the Supreme Court this week in what could set a precedent in Canada’s sexual assault laws.
Bradley Barton says Cindy Gladue died after a night of consensual, rough sex in an Edmonton motel in June 2011. Her body was found in the bathtub after Barton called 911. She had an 11-centimetre cut in her vagina and had bled to death.
A jury found Barton not guilty of first-degree murder and manslaughter. The Crown appealed following nationwide protests and the Alberta Court of Appeal ordered a new trial.
The Appeal Court ruled serious errors were made in the original trial and in the judge’s charge to the jury about Barton’s conduct and on sexual assault legislation as it pertains to consent.