N.S. tattoo artist acquitted of sexual assault

A Halifax-area tattoo artist has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman he knows.

Nova Scotia Provincial Court Judge Elizabeth Buckle delivered her decision Wednesday in the case of Andrew Douglas Stones, 31.

The woman complained of three separate incidents during a period between March 2018 and June of 2020.

"I accept that she has painful memories and strong negative feelings about her relationship with Mr. Stones," Judge Buckle said in her decision.

However, the judge found the Crown had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the incidents had happened exactly the way the woman claimed.

In one incident, in which the alleged sexual assault involved a slap, the judge said she believed it happened in New Brunswick, and so was outside her jurisdiction. Buckle said she didn't have to consider the question of consent in that case because it wasn't for her to rule.

The matter returns to court early in the new year after the judge hears from the lawyers about how she should deal with the slap incident.

Earlier this month, Stones was convicted of sexual assaultin a separate case. That matter returns to court next week to set a date for sentencing.