Teenager testifies at trial of Mountie accused of sexually assaulting her | CBC News

The trial for a New Brunswick RCMP officer charged with sexually assaulting a minor began in Saint John on Monday morning with testimony from the complainant. 

Const. Osama Ibrahim is facing five charges — assault, sexual assault, choking during an assault, using or threatening to use a weapon during an assault, and breach of trust.

Ibrahim, who works with the RCMP in the Woodstock area, pleaded not guilty last December to all five charges.

The trial began with testimony from the complainant, whose identity is protected by a publication ban.

She told the court she first met Ibrahim in December 2021, when she was 16 and he was 27. She said Ibrahim showed up a couple of times in uniform at the Saint John restaurant where she worked. The visits became more frequent and Ibrahim also struck up a friendship with the girl’s father and brother. 

Officer intended to propose marriage

By early January 2022, Ibrahim was visiting her house regularly and by late January, he told her he intended to propose marriage. 

The 18-year-old student testified that her mother told Ibrahim during a Facetime call that her daughter was too young and that the two should get to know each other. 

She said that’s when he became domineering and violent when they were alone. 

She said he soon started “saying bad stuff and doing bad stuff to me.”

She said he often showed her family his weapons, and when they were alone, “he would threaten me with it to do things.” 

She said he would hit, pinch and bite her. He pulled her hair, slapped her face, and would use his considerable size advantage to push her around and prevent her from leaving. 

“I was actually scared, because he was actually hurting me.” 

She said he seemed to enjoy it.

“When I was hurt, he would be happy.” 

She said he was also misogynistic. He would often lie on the couch and make her sit on the floor. He also made her massage him.

She said he would “treat me like I was his slave.” 

She said she repeatedly told him to stop and that she didn’t want him treating her that way. She said he would tell her to “shut up” and that she didn’t know anything and girls weren’t allowed to have an opinion. 

“He said I’m older, I’m a man, I’m RCMP, I know better than you.”

Complainant alleges assaults were also sexual

Whenever they were alone, she said, Ibrahim tried to touch her, “and I would be very clear for him to stop or that I didn’t want him to do it.” 

Even when he hugged her, he would try to touch “other parts,” of her body, including her breasts. 

She also said Ibrahim often put his hands around her next and choked her. She said he told her he wanted to see how long she could take it. 

She said he would dismiss it as play, saying he’s a police officer, he knows better. 

If she told him he was hurting her, he said, “Yeah, it’s fine, it’s what I want.”

Crown prosecutor Christopher Lavigne showed security videos showing Ibrahim man-handling the complaint, physically blocking her and holding her, and preventing her from returning to work. In one, she falls to the floor. 

Under cross-examination, defence lawyer T.J. Burke challenged the complainant about parts of her testimony, suggesting to her that she was angry with Ibrahim for saying he didn’t want to marry her. But the woman responded, saying she told her parents about the alleged abuse while Ibrahim still wanted to marry her. 

Cross-examination is scheduled to continue on Tuesday morning. 

Seven days have been set aside for the trial.