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(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

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A Crown prosecutor in a Kelowna sexual assault case strongly suggested the alleged victim was being pressured by her church to drop the charges two weeks before charges were dropped.

Details of the case are murky but some allegations were revealed in a July 10 hearing. A 61-year-old Kelowna man was accused of raping a 49-year-old woman in his home in February, 2024.

"She has spoken to the members of her congregation and I understand there has been some pressure to not proceed with this charge," Crown prosecutor Miho Ogi-Harris told a Kelowna courtroom July 10. "It seems from the correspondence from the complainant... that she's having some pressure ... She seems to walk from wanting to proceed to not wanting to proceed."

The charges were stayed July 29. Ogi-Harris disclosed in the hearing that she was not very familiar with the file and was reading from a colleague’s notes later saying it was "unclear".

The BC Prosecution Service has not yet responded to requests for more information.

The victim is a Jehovah's Witness, but which congregation isn’t known.

In the July hearing, the court heard the untested allegation that the two met through common acquaintances and had gone out a couple of times in the company of other people. They texted each other and sometimes met up at the dog park. They were developing feelings for each other and exploring a potential relationship.

In February 2024, the woman turned up unannounced at his West Kelowna home.

"He asked why she was there and immediately proceeded to shut the door," the Crown said. "The allegation is that he grabbed her, and what follows appears to be a series of violations of her sexual integrity over... that evening."

The accused, whose identity is known to iNFOnews.ca but we’ll only identify for now as BM, is alleged to have raped her in several forms over the night.

The Crown said she stayed the night and was in a state of shock the next morning when she left.

The victim later met up with BM and confronted him about the incident.

They then went to their Jehovah's Witnesses congregation and reported what happened.

"This I understand is the responsibility of their faith," the Crown told the court.

It's not known which Jehovah's Witnesses congregation was involved.

She later went to the police, and BM was charged with sexual assault.

The July hearing was BM's application to alter his bail conditions so he could contact the complainant.

The Crown said it was very reluctant to release the no-contact order.

Without the victim in the courtroom, BC Provincial Court Judge Lisa Wyatt refused to amend the no-contact order.

"I want to ensure that there's not undue influence occurring in respect of the complainant's position," the Judge said.

The matter was scheduled to go to a three-day trial in November, until Crown prosecutors stayed the charge.

It's protocol for the Crown not to give reasons why charges are stayed, but if their only witness refused to take part, it wouldn't have a case.

When reached by phone, BM denied the Jehovah's Witnesses congregation pressured her.

"We sorted it out ourselves," he said, adding that she'd dropped the charges.

"There's nothing else to it."

Having contact with the victim would have been a breach of BM's bail conditions but he is not facing any breach charges.

BM wouldn't confirm whether or not he is a Jehovah's Witness.

"I'm not making any more comments," he said.

He also denied he sexually assaulted the victim.

"There was nothing done... nothing," he said.

BM said he still saw the victim around once in a while.

"But other than that, I don't really communicate with her that much," he said.

iNFOnews.ca reached out to several Jehovah's Witnesses congregations in Kelowna but did not immediately hear back.

NOTE TO READERS: To connect with a victim service program or violence against women program call VictimLink BC at 1-800-563-0808. VictimLink BC provides information and referrals to all victims, as well as immediate crisis response to victims of sexual and family violence.

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