Defence calls no evidence in former Halifax taxi driver's sex assault trial

A former Halifax taxi driver charged withsexually assaulting a passenger almost eight years ago will not take the stand in his own defence.

Bassam Al-Rawi appeared briefly in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Tuesday for the 10th day of his judge-only trial.

Ian Hutchison, Al-Rawi's defence lawyer, said Tuesday they would not be calling any evidence.

Al-Rawi is accused of raping a woman in his apartment in the early hours of Dec. 15, 2012.

The 35-year-old complainant, whose name is protected by a publication ban, testified earlier in the trial that she drove to Halifax from Pictou County with a group of friends on Dec. 14, 2012.

She testified a taxi driver picked her up while she was lost downtown and later assaulted her while she was highly intoxicated and pretending to be unconscious.

Multiple witnesses called by Crown

The Crown called several witnesses in the trial that began in late February and ran for eight days.

They included the complainant, acolleague who saw her a few hours after the incident, Al-Rawi's former roommate, his building manager at the time, a sexual assault nurseand anRCMP forensic toxicologist.

The trial resumed Monday with the defence cross-examining the RCMP toxicologist, Christopher Keddy, who appeared by video link from Ottawa.

In their last day in court in Halifax on March 2, Hutchison asked for a three-month pause to consult with his own toxicologist.

That delay stretched to more than five months because of COVID-19.

Closing arguments expected Wednesday

The trial resumes Wednesday, when both lawyers are expected to deliver their closing arguments.

Al-Rawi has been travelling back and forth to Nova Scotia from his home in Germany to attend court in person.

This is the second time Al-Rawi has been charged with sexual assault in Halifax.

Last September, he was found not guilty in the retrial of a case that gained national attention and involved accusations he sexually assaulted a woman in his cab in 2015.