Accused serial rapist's trial delayed as defence asks for 7 separate hearings

On what was to be Richard Mantha's first day of trial, the lawyer for the accused serial rapist will instead ask a judge to order separate trials for each alleged victim — seven in total.

Mantha, 59, faces more than two dozen charges including sexual assault with a gun, sexual assault with a knife, kidnapping, forcible confinement and administering noxious substances.

He is accused of drugging and raping women involved in Calgary's sex trade.

A four-week trial was supposed to begin Monday. Instead, defence lawyer Kim Arial will make a severance application, asking the judge to split the complainants up for separate trials.

Each alleged victim comes with a "distinct set of allegations," Arial told Justice Judith Shrier earlier in January.

The application is expected to take one day but it's not yet known when Shrier will make her ruling.

It's likely the parties will still be able to make use of the trial time, whether they move forward with one complainant or more.

Originally from Quebec, Mantha has exercised his right to be tried in French, a relatively rare occurrence in Alberta, with only about two per cent of residents speaking French as their mother tongue, according to the provincial government.

Five-day search of rural property

Mantha was initially charged with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in the summer of 2022 but missed a court appearance last March.

By April, Calgary police were investigating Mantha for further offences involving women who worked or frequented the Forest Lawn stroll.

As part of that investigation, CPS and RCMP spent five days searching Mantha's rural property east of Chestermere.

The search ended with Mantha's arrest and a host of new charges involving new victims.

After police announced the charges, more women came forward and new sets of charges were laid.

Unsealed search warrant documents reveal details about the allegations Mantha faces.

Pig mask and gun

Several of the women allegedly victimized by Mantha told police he threatened them with a gun. They also said he had piles of women's clothing in his Quonset hut and trailer.

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Mantha's alleged victims say he gave them food or drinks before they lost consciousness. They say they would wake up in his trailer inside the Quonset hut or in hotel rooms.

Several of the women told police that Mantha had a pig mask and a gun.

One woman told investigators she woke up in a hotel room with Mantha videotaping himself raping her.

In recent months, one of Mantha's alleged victims died. The Crown will still pursue the charges related to that complainant.