Crown closes case in Jaddus Poirier sexual assault trial

The Crown has closed its case against a former Halifax-area school teacher accused of sexually assaulting two boys in the mid-1980s.

The only witnesses against Jaddus Joseph Poirier, 81, were the two complainants. They are now men in their50s.

One testified at the start of Poirier's Nova Scotia Supreme Court trial in Halifax that Poirier abused him during a single incident at the teacher's Dartmouth apartment.

The second complainant alleges Poirier abused him on numerous occasions at the apartment, at the elementary school he attended, and once or twice in the teacher's car parked near a neighbourhood church.

The second complainant faced two days of tough questioning from Poirier's lawyer, Ian Hutchison, who asked whether the man was making up testimony as the trial progressed.

That question prompted an adamant denial from the witness. He blamed any inconsistencies in his story to the fact that decades have elapsedsince the alleged offences.

Poirier is in poor health and uses a wheelchair. The case was supposed to run this entire week, but the court only sat for half days to accommodate Poirier.

As a result, three extra days have been tacked on. When the trial resumes next week, Hutchison will indicate whether he will call any evidenceor if the case can go straight to closing arguments.