‘I was scared’: Testimony begins in trial for Calgary bar manager accused of sexual assault

July 8, 2024 Canuck

(Warning: The following story contains some description of sexual assault…)

A young woman testified Monday in the trial against her former boss, who is accused of sexually assaulting her in December 2022.

The woman was 18 years old at the time of the alleged assault and can’t be identified because of a court-ordered publication ban.

CTV News is calling her Anne.

Grant Lee Cichacki, 43, was charged in October 2023.

He also faces an additional trial next spring, in which he’s accused of sexually assaulting six additional women.

Anne told court she finished her shift at Watchman’s Pub on 17th Avenue S.W. on Dec. 27th, 2022, when she, her former manager Cichacki and one of his friends decided to go to Cowboys Dance Hall.

She said she was handed a drink and headed to the dance floor, but lost most of her memory after that.

“There’s like black spots and then there’s bits and pieces and then it goes black,” she said.

She said she has vague memories of being in another establishment, Boudoir Rouge, but the next thing she recalls from the evening is waking up in Cichacki’s bed.

“I woke up in his bed with him on top of me, having sex with me,” she said.

“I didn’t try to do anything. I just laid there. And I went out of it again.”

She said throughout losing consciousness, she remembered being moved around to different positions.

Anne said she was sick and vomited during the following days.

She said she was also removed from the work schedule shortly after and lost her job.

When asked why she didn’t tell someone immediately, Anne told court, “I was scared.”

“I was just trying to pretend like nothing happened and make it go away,” she said.

Days later, she did go to the Sheldon M. Chumir Centre and a sexual assault evidence kit was used.

Court heard DNA collected from swabs and her underwear was a match for the accused.

Speaking to CTV News, Anne said it was incredibly emotional, recounting what she went through.

“A lot of emotions. Lots of tears when I walked out. A lot of anger while I was in the courtroom itself. Lots of feelings coming up,” she said.

“It has been two years now. … It has been, like, blocked out of my mind for the longest time and then, you know, having to come here and see him and everything was a lot.”

The defence suggested Anne not only consented to having sex with Cichacki, but initiated being intimate.

“It’s his job to ask those questions,” she said.

“I know that none of this was my fault. And there was no, no interest in him whatsoever. There was nothing, nothing for me to want him or want any of that to happen.

“It was most definitely not consensual. I was severely taken advantage of, which sucks. I don’t know a better word for that right now.”

Cichacki took the stand in his own defence and said Anne asked to spend the night in his room.

“She said she wanted to come in and cuddle,” he said.

When asked by the Crown if he was not surprised an 18-year-old would want to share a bed with a 42-year-old man, Cichacki responded, “She’s a pretty, young adult. I didn’t ask her to do it.”

Cichacki said Anne twice verbally consented to having intercourse and to not using a condom.

He said she didn’t appear very intoxicated throughout the night and that he didn’t notice how much alcohol she had consumed.

“Lots of people come to my house and pour themselves a drink. I don’t pay attention to it. They’re an adult,” he said.

Cichacki also said Anne didn’t show up for her next shift and he was not involved in removing her from the work schedule.

He said the case and media attention caused him to leave his position as co-owner at several establishments throughout the city, including Watchman’s Pub, Courtyard, Nixx Neighbourhood Pub, and Loco Lou’s.

He is no longer listed as an owner according to business registries at these locations.

Following the initial charge, six other women came forward, accusing Cichacki of sexual assault between 2006 and 2022.

“A lot of them have said that it’s because of me that they’re finally feeling OK again, which means the world to me that, you know, I was able to help these girls. Obviously, not a good situation at all and I wish that I could, you know, not have any of this,” Anne said.

“But this is what we’re all dealing with. So, the fact that, you know, my voice alone has let them feel better and you know, gotten them this other trial and everything, it’s a very nice feeling.”

She said she is continuing to heal from what happened to her and is hopeful for justice.

“This has been going on for two years now. And within that time span, it’s been an absolute, like, emotional roller coaster. I’ve had weeks – months – where I’m just scared of everything and I can’t leave my bedroom and, you know, I didn’t have a job for the longest time because they let me go,” she said.

“So I had no money, I had no job, I had no friends. I was isolated by myself, essentially, and my family was there for me. More than words could even describe, they’ve been amazing for me.”

In Canada, there is no time limit on reporting a sexual assault.

Anyone who believes they are a victim of sexual assault is encouraged to report it, even if many years have passed since the incident.

Supports are available for victims of sexual assault, including Alberta’s One-Line for Sexual Violence: 1-866-403-8000, and a 24-hour crisis line: 1-877-237-5888.

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‘I was scared’: Testimony begins in trial for Calgary bar manager accused of sexual assault

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