Wilbur Dedam trial on sex charges hears from alleged victim

A woman who alleges she was routinely sexually abused by Wilbur Dedamin her youth maintained a relationship with him as a young adult, his judge and jury trial heard on Wednesday.

Dedam, 62,theformer chief ofEsgenopetitjFirst Nation, is on trial in Miramichi's Court of Queen's Benchfor six sex-related charges involving three alleged victims between1977 and1985.

I was always in fear.- Alleged victim

During cross-examination, the woman,whoseidentity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, testified her relationship with Dedamduring her 20s, when she hadchildren of her own, was fake on her part.

"I was always in fear," she said.

Knowing Dedamwas chief, she would also sometimes ask him for money or things from the band, she said, adding she didn't like to.

After he lost power, "a lot of people became less in fear," she said.

• Wilbur Dedam trial on 6 sex charges underway

The woman, who is now in her 50s, told the court she wasdepressed during that period and weighed only 89 pounds.

Defence lawyerGillesLemieuxasked if she developed a drug problem. The Crown objected, questioning the relevance.Lemieuxsaid he was trying to determine how good the woman's memory is.

"Who didn't drink at that age?" the woman replied, generating giggles from the public gallery.

She didn't have a problem, she said. When she was 25, she stopped drinking and became "more traditional" in her culture, which dictates noalcoholor drugs, she added.

Babysat for Dedam

On Tuesday, the woman testified the abuse started when shebabysat forDedam, often when hiswife was away from the home and hischildren were sleeping.The abuseescalated to include sexual intercourse, she told the court.

Lemieux suggested on Wednesdaythe woman never babysat for Dedamand that no sexual assault occurred.

"Yes I did," she replied. "Yes there was."

Lemieuxrevisited the woman's testimony that she didn't tell her father of the alleged abuse because he was a violent man and she was afraid he would beat her.

The lawyerasked if she hadconfided in her latefather about bullies. The womanreplied she had.

She had confided in other older men in the community about the abuse, but they kept it secret, she said.

Asked whether she ever told police, the woman said she spoke to a friend who was a policeman, but didn't press charges. She was too scared, she said, after learning more about the court process.

Lemieuxshowed the woman some legal documents he said she had signed in the1980s. She said she doesn't recall signing them.

He also asked about her family situation as a young woman, but much of the information discussed can't be reported due to the publication ban.

Dedamis not sitting in the prisoner's box during the trial. He is at the front of the courtroom, near his defence lawyers.He had about 10 supporters with him on Wednesday.

About 20 people were on the other side of the courtroom, some of them relatives of the alleged victim, who requested to remove her shoes to make herself more comfortable in the witness box.

On Tuesday, she needed many breaks to compose herself and stroked an eagle featherin her hand.

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