Guilty verdicts in College Street Bar trial
Posted November 30, 2019 5:10 pm.
Last Updated November 30, 2019 11:40 pm.
Two men have been found guilty in connection with the 2016 sexual assault of a woman at the College Street Bar.
After four days of deliberation, the jury found the bar’s former owner Gavin MacMillan and manager Enzo De Jesus Carrasco guilty of gang sexual assault and administering a stupefying drug.
However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on charges of forcible confinement for both men.
De Jesus Carrasco was found not guilty of sexually assaulting the woman at the bar while the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the sexual assault that allegedly occurred the next morning at this home.
MacMillan and De Jesus Carrasco had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The central issue in question throughout the trail was whether the complainant, who was 24-years-old at the time, consented to the sexual acts and whether she had the capacity to consent.
MacMillan and De Jesus Carrasco both testified that the sex was consensual.
Bail has been revoked for De Jesus Carrasco but he will be back in court on Dec. 12 for a bail hearing. His attorney, Uman Kancharla, said outside the court room that her client does not agree with the verdict and maintains his innocence.
“I’m not sure what they based their decision on, no one is, but my client is considering grounds for appeal at this time,” said Kancharla.
MacMillan will be allowed to remain free on bail and under house arrest until he is sentenced, along with De Jesus Carrasco, on Jan. 29, 2020.
The maximum sentence for gang sexual assault is 14 years.
MacMillan will remain on house arrest until a sentencing hearing Jan. 29. DeJesus Carrasco had his bail revoked and was led away in handcuffs. He has a bail hearing on Dec. 12. @CityNews pic.twitter.com/IrOPyzttsD
— Caryn Ceolin (@carynceolin) November 30, 2019
Crown Rick Nathanson said they were “happy and grateful” for the verdicts despite not being able to convict on all the charges, pointing out the jury were forced to “work through some very difficult and troubling evidence.”
He also commended the victim in the case for her “tremendous strength and courage.”
“She seemed more motivated, quite frankly, out of concern for the community than for herself,” he said.
