Calgary suspect Richard Mantha found guilty on some sexual-abuse charges

A Calgary judge convicted Richard Mantha on six charges related to sexual assaults of three women and acquitted him on the majority of the 20 charges he faced. He remains in custody and the court will schedule a sentencing hearing this week.

Justice Judith Shriar convicted Richard Robert Mantha on six charges alleging sexual assaults of three women and acquitted him on the majority of the 20 charges he faced. The judge said much of the testimony from several alleged victims, described in court as vulnerable, was assessed as unreliable. Shriar also found that while Mantha supplied drugs to many complainants, the court was not convinced most counts of administering noxious substances met the legal standard for causing serious harm. Mantha's trial began in January 2024 and experienced delays, including a stroke he suffered in May 2024 that left him unable to communicate verbally. Key facts: - Mantha was convicted on six charges tied to sexual assaults of three women and acquitted on most of the 20 charges he faced. - The court found he supplied drugs to several complainants but convicted him on only one count of administering a noxious substance, described in the decision as intended to "aggrieve or annoy." - The Crown conceded acquittal on two alleged victims; one of those women died before she could testify and the judge declined to admit her police statement as evidence. - Mantha was arrested in April 2023 after a police search of a rural property east of Calgary. - He remains in custody pending sentencing, and the case returns to court Friday to schedule a sentencing hearing. Summary: The decision leaves Mantha convicted on a subset of the original charges while acquitting him on most others, reflecting the judge's assessment of the evidence. The next procedural step is a court appearance Friday to schedule a sentencing hearing; Mantha remains in custody pending that process.