The trial of three men accused of sexual assault is set to begin in Hay River, NWT, in 2022

The trial of three men from Hay River, NWT, accused of sexual assault, began in the NWT Supreme Court on Thursday.

Crown prosecutor Jean-Benoît Deschamps presented testimony from the lead investigator, as well as from an associate of the three accused men who had spoken to them and the two alleged adult victims at the time.

The three suspects – Maher Sellemi, Amine Zahi and Hassen Zellama – are out on bail and were present at the trial, which was conducted in French with an English translation.

In July 2022, the three men were each charged with two counts of sexual assault. According to the Crown, the three met the two alleged victims at the Hay River Legion Branch over drinks early on the morning of July 3, and later all five went to an apartment owned by one of the accused men.

The next day, the alleged victims filed a complaint with the RCMP. Their identity is protected by a court-imposed publication ban.

The RCMP detachment in Hay River, NWT (Natalie Pressman/CBC)

RCMP Const. Grayson Campbell, the lead investigator, testified Thursday that he received a call about the alleged attack on July 4, 2022.

He told the court that when the two complainants arrived at the RCMP detachment that day, they were “very upset,” with one crying and the other appearing “closed with her arms.”

Campbell testified that RCMP arrested Sellemi, Zahi and Zellama on July 8, 2022, at a restaurant where they all worked near Ptarmigan Inn in Hay River. Campbell identified the accused men in court.

During cross-examination, Amine Zahi’s attorney, Kimberly Arial, asked whether Zahi had resisted arrest or avoided police when approached at work. Campbell said no, adding that Zahi seemed confused, possibly because he didn’t understand English very well.

The Crown presented surveillance footage from the Hay River Legion from the night of the alleged attacks, which showed the suspects and complainants speaking and leaving together in a vehicle. Campbell testified that one of the alleged victims appeared intoxicated and had difficulty maintaining balance in the footage.

The court on Thursday also heard from Tanisha Edison, an associate of the three suspects, who had first met the complainants at the Legion that morning.

Edison testified that she saw the group sitting together at a table, with Sellemi appearing “handsy” with one of the alleged victims and Zellama appearing drunk. She said the group left the location in a vehicle, which she later spotted at the home of one of the suspects.

Edison said she was driving around 2:30 a.m. on July 3 when she saw the two complainants walking on the street. She described them as “stoic” and unresponsive when she called out to them.

Edison said she brought them home and saw them upset and crying, saying they “looked like two different people” compared to how she saw them earlier that evening.

Edison said she later saw Sellemi, Zahi and Zellama at work, but did not discuss the complainants’ allegations with them.

The trial will continue Friday with testimony from a civilian witness and one of the alleged victims.