**This article contains graphic content that may not be suitable or comfortable for some readers.**
A young boy detailed graphic sex assault allegations against a South Okanagan man in Penticton’s courthouse Monday afternoon.
The alleged incidents took place in a small South Okanagan community between 2011 and 2012, as the two became close following the man’s father’s death.
Neither the boy, nor the man, TB, can be named due to a publication ban on both of their names. The Penticton Western News applied to alter the publication ban Monday morning, but failed to sway Justice Alison Beames to remove the accused’s name from the ban.
Related: Publication ban remains on alleged sex offender’s name
TB is charged with sexual interference of a minor, invitation to sexual touching with a minor, two counts of sexual exploitation and one count of sexual assault.
In his opening remarks, Crown lawyer John Swanson ran over the basic details of the allegations, which the boy elaborated on in greater detail in his testimony later in the day.
Despite an age difference of about 10 years, a friendly relationship was formed between the two, a fact neither party disputes. Over the span of several months, from summer 2011 to spring 2012, the boy alleged TB escalated sexual contact with him.
“TB and (the boy) started to spend more time associating with each other in the weeks, moving into months, following (TB’s father’s) death,” Swanson said.
“Although their relationship between them initially started out as a big-brother-little-brother type of relationship … it morphed into something more sinister.”
That sexual contact included TB allegedly requesting the boy to rub his penis, TB ejaculating on the boy and anal penetration on at least two occasions — once at TB’s house and once in the boy’s bedroom.
“On one occasion, (the boy) woke up while having a sleepover with TB. They were in the same bed. TB had his hand down the front of (the boy’s) pants, and he was manipulating or fondling or handling his genitalia,” Swanson said.
“(The boy) tried to remove TB’s hand from inside his pants, and although (the boy) at the time believed TB might be asleep, TB seemed to resist that.”
TB reportedly began buying the boy gifts, including an iPod, iTunes cards, a $60 Nerf gun and more. That, the boy said, was used against him to keep him in regular contact with TB — he regularly feared saying no to TB for fear of losing the things TB bought for him.
TB reportedly also brought the boy to various events and venues throughout the Okanagan, including one venue in Kelowna. When the two returned, TB reportedly entered a shower at his house with the boy and asked if he could penetrate him anally. The boy said this was not the first time that had happened.
Afterwards, the boy said he asked to go home, but TB declined and ultimately told the boy that a person who cared about him would not want to leave him. TB allegedly suggested he would commit suicide if the boy left. The next day he knew TB had not followed through on that threat, but said there were scars on his forearm writing the word “loser.”
TB’s trial is scheduled to run for two weeks, but lawyers said they expect it to finish sooner.
signoff
