A West Kelowna man accused of violently raping a woman who visited his house after bar hours two years ago believed he was engaging in consensual sex, says his lawyer.
Jeremy Czechowski’s defence lawyer Cory Armour suggested to the alleged victim during cross examination that she had flirted with the accused shortly after they arrived at the West Kelowna home Feb. 21, 2016 to procure cocaine.
The alleged victim said she had never met Czechowski before and didn’t have interest in engaging in a sexual relationship.
She told the court that Czechowski ripped off her underwear within minutes of that meeting, and “taunted” her with them while she tried to get them back.
Armour suggested that she was a happy participant in that interaction and that it was the prelude to sex that occurred a short time later, upstairs in Czechowski’s room.
“I suggest you and Jeremy Czechowski were kissing in the bedroom and engaged in consensual sex,” said Armour while cross examining the alleged victim.
She vehemently denied that suggestion on multiple occasions.
“I did not give him consent to touch me,” she said.
She also disagreed with suggestions that she opted out of leaving when the opportunity arose.
Armour said that the alleged victim had taken Czechowski’s “purse” and tried to leave the house with it. When a friend of Czechowski’s tried to stop her, Armour suggested, she kicked him in the groin and threatened to call the police if the purse was taken away.
“No, that did not happen,” she told the court.
By her recollection, that friend had restrained her by the throat and told her she was going to have to do what Czechowski wanted or she was going to be “buried in the back yard.”
Armour also turned the alleged victim’s attention to some text messages sent in the aftermath of the encounter, where she told a friend she had “f*&&*d up,” suggesting that she had cheated on her boyfriend.
She replied that in the aftermath she was second guessing her actions and when she said she “f*&% up” it was because she didn’t leave the first time, regardless of whether or not she was without clothes and that she didn’t fight until the bitter end to get away.