A jury has found former Yellowknife city councillor Robin Williams not guilty of six of the 14 charges laid against him.
For the remaining charges, the jury was unable to arrive at a consensus required to find him guilty or not guilty.
Williams was found not guilty of four counts of assault, one count of mischief, and one count of choking or suffocating.
The remaining charges of assault, assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault and uttering threats will be decided at a later date.
All of the charges involved the same woman, who cannot be named.
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Next steps regarding the remaining charges are expected to be determined on February 24.
“If the Crown elects to proceed with a new trial on the charges in relation to which the jury were unable to reach a consensus, you can speak to a trial date at that time,” said NWT Supreme Court Justice David Gates.
Williams will continue to be bound by the terms of his release, which include things like limited contact with the complainant, said his lawyer, Evan McIntyre.
“The jury saw the truth of some of these allegations,” said McIntyre, who added that Williams was pleased with the jury’s findings.
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“We know that this case has been a very difficult one,” said Gates as he spoke to the jury about counselling services available to jurors now the trial is over.
“You heard some fairly difficult evidence.”
Over the course of the trial, the woman testified that Williams had committed the 14 offences in the course of 11 violent incidents between 2014 and 2022. Over the eight-year period, the woman alleged, Williams had broken one of her fingers, broken her phone, given her a black eye and spat on her, among other allegations.
She also alleged Williams had sexually assaulted her while she was passed out, and that he later told two people he had “got a little rapey” with her.
In court, Williams denied ever assaulting the woman or threatening to kill her.
In two separate incidents, Williams said, the woman had punched herself in the face – giving herself a black eye – and had accidentally broken one of her fingers.
Regarding the incident in which the woman said she had been unconscious, Williams said he had helped her to bed but never sexually assaulted her.
The trial lasted a little over two weeks.
Williams served as a city councillor for one term from 2018 to 2022 and did not seek re-election in Yellowknife’s October 2022 municipal election. He is currently the owner of an electronics store.
