Nunavut man faces multiple sex offences against minors

Garry Akpik of Iqaluit is set to appear in court again Oct. 24 facing 11 sex-related charges, some of which involve victims under age 16. (FILE PHOTO)

An Iqaluit man facing two counts of sexual assault, six counts of sexual touching and two assault charges, among others, remains in custody Oct. 13 after a bail hearing scheduled for Oct. 4, at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit, was deferred.

Garry Akpik, whose name is spelled two ways on the Oct. 4 docket, is expected back in court Oct. 24.

The charges stem from incidents alleged to have occurred in Iqaluit from September 2010 to August 2017, with most of them occurring in the past year.

Four victims are named in court documents and at least three are under the age of 16.

A publication ban imposed by the court prevents the publication of any information that may identify the victims in this case.

According to court documents, Akpik is charged with sexually assaulting two victims under age 16. He also allegedly touched some of the victims for a sexual purpose—with his hand and with his penis—at various times.

None of these charges have yet been proven in court.

Akpik appeared in court Aug. 25 for a show cause, or bail, hearing on an initial set of sex-related charges, Crown prosecutor Sara Gardezi explained Oct. 12.

A justice of the peace ruled then that Akpik could be released from custody so long as he was able to produce a suitable surety.

A surety is someone who agrees to take responsibility for a person accused of a crime. That could include making sure the accused person comes to court on time and on the right date and ensuring the accused obeys the conditions of his or her release.

Akpik was unable to supply a surety at the time of that hearing so he remained in custody.

Gardezi said that the Crown strongly opposed Akpik’s release in August and, should he seek release again, the Crown will continue to oppose it—especially in light of a second set of charges which Nunavut RCMP laid in October.

On the Oct. 4 court docket, Akpik appeared to be facing dozens of charges but, Gardezi said, some of them were duplicate charges and are expected to be withdrawn at the next court date. According to Gardezi, he will be facing 11 charges in total.