A cross-examination of one of the women a former chief of the Fort St. James volunteer fire department is accused of groping was often heated and combative during the second day of a trial Wednesday at the Prince George courthouse.
Robert Harold Bennett faces three counts of sexual assault. His lawyer, Jason Tarnow, spent the day putting the credibility of Kirsten Rudolph to the test with Rudolph remaining defiant in the face of claims she made up a series of allegations against Bennett.
Of particular focus was an alleged July 2013 incident in which Rudolph said a drunken Bennett tried to reach around and grab her breasts after pulling on her braided hair that fell out of the back of her ball cap.
Tarnow suggested Bennett had at the most poked her side, which Rudolph vehemently denied.
"He was not poking my side," Rudolph said. "He was trying to grab my breasts."
"Well, not trying, you're saying he did," Tarnow replied.
"He made contact with my right breast, yes, despite my effort to keep him off," Rudolph said.
Rudolph said there were at least six other firefighters, all men, in the fire hall's common room when the incident happened. She said one of the others, John Venison, expressed concern about Bennett when he began pestering her and stepped in when she grabbed Bennett's wrists to ward him off.
"At the time, thinking well, he (Bennett) was just being his usual drunken self, I said 'yeah, I'm fine," Rudolph said.
"When he actually put his arms around me and made it very clear he was trying to grab my breast - he said 'yeah, I like your boobs' - that's when I leaned forward and that's when I told 'John, OK I had enough' and that's when they stepped up and removed him."
It was following that alleged incident that Rudolph said she went to the police and the community's municipal office to lodge complaints. In the process, complaints were also filed by two other women - Lisa Button and Joy Rierson - alleging similar incidents.
Tarnow turned to transcripts of a previous trial on the matter and an episode of CBC's Fifth Estate about the treatment of women firefighters in which Rudolph was a subject, to try to raise doubts about her credibility and motivation.
Rudolph has also alleged Bennett grabbed her crotch as they crossed paths in the truck bay at the fire hall but said no one else saw the act as far as she knew, she said during testimony this week. However, she told the Fifth Estate she didn't "actually realize there was a witness to that as well."
Pressed by Tarnow on the comment, Rudolph said there "was potentially a witness, yes. There were people in the hall" but later added she was not referring to anyone in particular.
Tarnow continually maintained Rudolph "juiced up" her story" to make Bennett look bad, and at one point suggested she told someone she hated Bennett and would have his job within two years.
Rudolph said she did not recall saying any such thing and added she did not want Bennett's job and never had.
For the most part, Rudolph stood her ground although she conceded that contrary to her testimony this week, she went to the fire hall after giving a statement to the RCMP in the morning and not after a meeting with an administrator at the municipal office in the afternoon.
"I stand corrected," Rudolph said.
"It's been three, fours since these incidents happened."
Rudolph said she went to the fire hall to pick up some equipment but also to ask the administrative assistant if she heard anything about Bennett's behaviour.
Rudolph said it was suggested she go talk to Rierson.
As she did, Rudolph said she ran into Button, who in turn, briefly told her about an incident involving Bennett.
Tarnow also turned to Facebook in which she promoted the Fifth Estate episode on her home page and went so far as to post it on another firefighter's wall in response to rumours and incorrect conclusions.
Rudolph denied she enjoyed the attention she was getting as a result of the controversy and disputed Tarnow's claim she was leading the charge against Bennett.
The trial before a seven-man, five-woman jury continues Friday at the Prince George courthouse.
