
Child abuse charges have been stayed against Lake St. Martin Chief Chris Traverse in Winnipeg. Photo: APTN.
The chief of an Anishinaabe Nation in Manitoba saw his child abuse trial end last week after the 10-year-old complainant admitted she lied.
Christopher Traverse, 41, had been on leave as chief of Lake St. Martin First Nation since he was arrested in February 2024. He had been free on bail conditions since then.
Traverse had pleaded not guilty to one count each of sexual assault, sexual interference and possessing and creating child pornography.
But on June 13, the complainant confessed she took the photo of herself, and when her mother found out and questioned her about it, she blamed Traverse.
“I got scared,” the girl said under questioning from defence lawyer Candace Olson.
“You were worried you were going to get in trouble? That your mom would yell at you? That she would take the phone away from you?” asked Olson.
“Yeah,” answered the girl who accused Traverse of taking cellphone pictures of her when she was eight-years-old.
“But that wasn’t the truth?” said Olson.
“It wasn’t the truth,” the girl replied.
Read More: Accused chief assaulted at Winnipeg courthouse, says lawyer
The girl told Winnipeg court she had taken a picture of herself when she was using the toilet that was discovered by her mother, who told her not to do it again.
The girl said she first lied by telling her mother the photo was taken “by accident.”
“You did take it on purpose?” Olson asked.
“Yes,” the girl whispered. She then said “Yes” a little more loudly.
The identity of the girl is under a court-ordered publication ban.
The girl explained she knew how to take “selfies” and make videos on a cellphone and was familiar with social media sites like TikTok and YouTube, noting she received her first phone when she was six-years-old.
She said she no longer has a phone but does use a tablet.
Crown attorney Boyd McGill stayed the charges against Traverse halting the two-day trial that began in March. A stay of proceedings means the Crown can reopen the case within 12 months if new evidence comes to light.
Traverse, who had been ejected from First Nations boards and banned from attending group events, did not respond to a request for comment from APTN News on Monday
“I can confirm that the charges against Chief Traverse have been stayed and the matter is concluded,” Olson said in an email to APTN News on Monday.
“We appeared on Friday (June 13) for the continuation of the trial. At that time, the complainant in the matter admitted during her testimony that she had lied about the allegations against Mr. Traverse and they had not happened.”
McGill, the Crown, did not respond to a request for comment.
I'm guessing they'll need a healing circle of some sort in Lac St Martin FN.
Queensland life coach Wolfgang Raven Wildgrace
jailed for years of child sexual abuse, rape
Wolfgang Wildgrace and Sonya Maria Lindley-Jones were arrested in Far North Queensland in March 2024. (Supplied: Facebook)
In short:
Wolfgang Raven Wildgrace and his then-partner Sonya Maria Lindley-Jones have pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse offences.
Wildgrace, a disgraced life coach who was linked to the controversial 2018 Adelaide Crows pre-season camp, has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half years behind bars.
What's next?
Wildgrace must serve at least half his sentence before being eligible for parole.
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