Iqaluit man acquitted of assault

Timothy Soucie, 20, was found not guilty of common assault following a brief trial in Iqaluit this week.

Soucie was arguing with Anita Curley at his Iqaluit apartment on Dec. 13, 2001. But he said he didn’t lay a hand on Curley except to guide her out of the apartment.

Curley offered a different account of the evening. She said Soucie slapped her across each cheek and pushed her — an attack she said prompted her to leave the apartment.

When considering the conflicting testimonies, Justice Robert Kilpatrick said he could not in “good conscience” find Soucie guilty.

“It would be dangerous to convict on the strength of what I heard,” Kilpatrick said.

The trouble began sometime after midnight on Dec. 13 when Soucie’s former girlfriend approached the couple, the court heard. The jealous ex-girlfriend, enraged at the sight of Soucie with another woman, threw Curley to the ground but then walked away.

Curley, annoyed by the unprovoked attack, demanded to know about Soucie’s relationship with the ex-girlfriend. A fight ensued between the couple and ended when Curley left the apartment to file a complaint with the RCMP.

Curley now lives in Hall Beach.