Neighbour let Yaremko into building where sexual assault, confinement happened, court hears

“I was doing a good deed in the beginning. I was continuing to do a good deed at that time. I was trying to help somebody I didn’t know.”

Author of the article:

Amanda Short

0930 news yaremko trial.Screengrab of security camera footage of Joseph Simon Peter Yaremko in an apartment building on the 100 block of Wellman Crescent June 3, 2019, when he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman who lived in the building.
0930 news yaremko trial. Screengrab of security camera footage of Joseph Simon Peter Yaremko in an apartment building on the 100 block of Wellman Crescent June 3, 2019, when he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman who lived in the building. jpg

Article content

Joseph Simon Peter Yaremko was in the company of someone who was trying to help him when he got into the Saskatoon condo building where he’s accused of later committing a random home invasion and sexual assault, Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench heard Wednesday.

Article content

Yaremko, 39, is charged with breaking and entering to commit a sexual assault with a weapon (a knife) and forcible confinement.

His judge-alone trial is underway this week.

Trisha Hall, who said she met Yaremko on the day of the June 3, 2019 incident, was the first of five witnesses called by Crown prosecutor Evan Thompson.

Hall testified she was at her workplace when a man she later identified as Yaremko entered the building looking to use a phone.

She offered him the phone and a coffee before giving him a tour, then offered to give him a ride, she told court.

Yaremko seemed “frazzled,” and they ended up heading directly to her Stonebridge-area condo on Wellman Crescent so she could help him set up a phone he had with him, she said, telling court they stayed there talking for about three hours and sharing details about their lives.

Hall said Yaremko showed her pornographic images on a tablet and discussed them in a way that was “disturbing.” Eventually, they went out so he could meet someone at a gym, but he left behind a duffle bag he was carrying, she said.

While they waited outside, she noticed he was growing increasingly agitated, one of a series of “red flags” that cropped up through the day, Hall said. They made two more brief stops before going to a building called Applewood Manor, where he left and returned with a bloodied hand with visible glass shards sticking out of it, she testified.

Hall said Yaremko told her he’d done a good deed for someone, but others, specifically the police, might not see it that way.

Article content

At that point, she was ready to part ways and they headed back to her condo so he could pick up his bag, she said. Hall’s roommate testified that Yaremko refused to leave their home, so she messaged Hall’s co-worker and told him she and Hall needed help. He contacted police.

They convinced him to leave with them, court heard. Video footage from the lobby of the building shows Yaremko take off running down an adjacent hallway from Hall’s unit around the time police arrived. Sometime later, the Crown’s case indicates Yaremko, armed with a knife, forced his way into the apartment of the alleged victim, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted her until she managed to get away the next morning. 

Saskatoon police Const. Garrett Boehm said Yaremko had locked himself in a bathroom in the woman’s unit when officers entered the building again, but they were able to convince him to come out.

Court exhibit photo of a knife found by Saskatoon Police Service officers in a unit in a condo building in the 100 block of Wellman Crescent on June 4, 2019.
Court exhibit photo of a knife found by Saskatoon Police Service officers in a unit in a condo building in the 100 block of Wellman Crescent on June 4, 2019. jpg

A folding knife was found on a countertop in the bedroom where the victim said she had hid it during her testimony on Monday.

Defence lawyer Meagan Bortis argued Yaremko and Hall must have previously known each other, through Hall buying drugs from Yarmeko. Hall denied the accusation.

Bortis questioned why she would go so far out of her way for a stranger who had started to worry her.

“I was doing a good deed in the beginning. I was continuing to do a good deed at that time,” Hall said. “I was trying to help somebody I didn’t know.”

Yaremko’s trial is expected to conclude on Friday.

  1. Joseph Simon Peter Yaremko

    Yaremko trial put on hold by missing medication

  2. Joseph Simon Peter Yaremko is detained after a 6 hour standoff in the 2100 block of Seventh Street East in Saskatoon on April 15, 2014.

    Woman testifies about home invasion, sexual assault as accused’s trial begins

The news seems to be flying at us faster all the time. From COVID-19 updates to politics and crime and everything in between, it can be hard to keep up. With that in mind, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox to help make sure you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

The StarPhoenix Headline News logo

Saskatoon StarPhoenix Afternoon Headlines

We deliver the local news you need in these turbulent times on weekdays at 3 p.m.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
An adult goes through what he started, especially when he is encouraged by vengeful retirees who have a complete weapons depot thumbnail

An adult goes through what he started, especially when he is encouraged by vengeful retirees who have a complete weapons depot

Kicsit kiestem a szerepemből, amikor Doma, a minden hájjal megkent bűnöző felszállt a 112-es buszra, hogy meglátogassa a nagymamáját a lakótelepen. A szerepem az volt, hogy néző legyek, és átéljem Az unoka című film történetét és esztétikáját egyaránt. Ebből zökkentett ki az utazás az Ikarus típusú ósdi járművön, és nem is azért, mert a Thomán…
Read More
14 Getaway Ideas for a Weird, Wonderful, Non-Traditional Romantic Vacation thumbnail

14 Getaway Ideas for a Weird, Wonderful, Non-Traditional Romantic Vacation

You’re not like most couples on Valentine’s Day [uncorks pumpkin butt plug], which isn’t to say you don’t dig a classic couple’s vacation activity, but we think you can do better than the old beachside massage package/wine tasting/hot air balloon venture (does anyone actually do that outside of Santa Fe or The Bachelor??). In fact, you…
Read More
AccelerComm Joins Small Cell Forum to Help Improve Interoperability and Maximize Spectral Efficiency for Dense 5G Networks thumbnail

AccelerComm Joins Small Cell Forum to Help Improve Interoperability and Maximize Spectral Efficiency for Dense 5G Networks

Southampton University Spin-Out Joins industry association developing the technical and commercial enablers to accelerate small cell adoption and drive wide-scale densificationSouthampton, UK – Monday 10th January 2022: AccelerComm, the company supercharging 5G with a complete physical layer solution which increases spectral efficiency and reduces latency, today announced that it has joined Small Cell Forum (SCF),…
Read More
5 Hidden (Secret) Destinations in Florida for Winter Vacation thumbnail

5 Hidden (Secret) Destinations in Florida for Winter Vacation

O estado da Flórida é, sem dúvida um destino muito procurado no inverno. Enquanto outros estados americanos congelam na estação mais fria do ano, a Flórida registra temperaturas amenas, e até mesmo um calor de lascar. As dicas de destinos dessa matéria tenta mostrar um turismo mais local, conhecidos apenas por poucos residentes como um…
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share