A former educational assistant found guilty of giving a teenage student liquor and drugs before sexually exploiting him is appealing her conviction and sentence. Her lawyers, Saul Simmonds and Kris Advent, argued in a Winnipeg appeal court Monday that Dyck's previous lawyer botched the job, resulting in an unfair trial. Simmonds argued to a three-judge panel that the trial lawyer, Gisele Champagne, hadn't effectively cross-examined witnesses on key issues such as collusion. He said she'd failed to drill down on dates when Dyck and the student could actually have met or dig into inconsistencies in witnesses' stories. The appeal was heard by Manitoba Court of Appeal Justices Diana M. Cameron, Jennifer A. Pfuetzner and Janice leMaistre.

Source: CBC News February 25, 2019 23:15 UTC