Former Wabano Centre healer guilty of sexual assault

A former traditional healer at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault in an Ottawa courtroom Tuesday.

A former traditional healer at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault in an Ottawa courtroom Tuesday.

Three women testified Ralph King inappropriately touched them during healing sessions at the Wabano Centre during the spring of 2021. King was adamant during his testimony in August that he never touched any of the complainants, and said it would be inappropriate for a medicine man to touch a person with their hand while performing the ceremony. He denied the unwanted touching but admitted to behaving inappropriately, and had inconsistencies in his testimony.

In her decision, Justice Faith Finnestad said she found the testimony of the women to be credible. "This similarity causes me to accept the viewpoints and to reject as not credible Mr. King's evidence to the contrary," the decision said, noting it defies coincidence to suggest there wasn't similar evidence from each of the complainants.

The court found King's testimony to be implausible and not credible. Each conviction of sexual assault carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in jail.