CBC Lite Sections News • Canada • Ottawa Victim services in Kingston feel the strain as marathon sex-offence trial stretches on and on Dan Taekema | CBC News | Posted: June 9, 2026 8:00 AM | Last Updated: 6 hours ago Michael Haaima has pleaded not guilty to 96 of the 98 charges he faces Image | Michael Haaima Caption: Michael Haaima arrives at the Superior Court of Justice in Kingston, Ont. on June 3, 2026. The 41-year-old has pleaded not guilty to 96 of the 98 charges he faces, including dozens of alleged sexual assaults. (Dan Taekema/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab WARNING: This story includes descriptions of sexual violence. For more than a year, the marathon criminal trial of Michael Haaima has been dragging on inside an old limestone courthouse in Kingston, Ont. Once a prominent figure in the city’s tech scene, the 41-year-old now faces 98 charges, including allegations of dozens of sexual assaults — some involving weapons — human trafficking, accessing child pornography and even compelling someone to commit bestiality. He has pleaded not guilty to 96 of the charges and his lawyer said he intends to testify in his own defence. There are 28 complainants in the case, several of whom were teenage girls at the time Haaima allegedly preyed upon them. Their identities are protected by a publication ban. About a dozen of the complainants are being supported by staff at Sexual Assault Centre (SAC) Kingston who accompany them to court or provide counselling. SAC staff compare the trial to a book they just can’t shut. Kingston is a medium-sized city with court facilities and victim services to match, both of which have been straining under such a complex, lengthy and unsettling case. Feelings of 'helplessness and powerlessness' Trina Martin, director of counselling services at SAC Kingston, said what’s happening in the Haaima trial can seem inescapable for her team, constantly tugging at their attention while leaving the centre — and its resources — drained. But that’s not what worries her most. “If we feel that sense of helplessness and powerlessness around being able to close that very difficult chapter, [it's] imagining what the survivors must be feeling,” she said. * Accused abuser's trial will reveal 'sexual violence on an unrelenting scale,' Crown tells court * Kingston man accused of serial abuse delays trial, saying he's in pain The court process won’t be ending any time soon. The judge-alone trial has sat sporadically and repeatedly stalled. One complainant who first took the stand last August is still waiting to finish testifying. The process has been delayed by testimony and cross examination that’s run long, illness and a jailhouse incident that the accused said left him in too much pain to concentrate. On June 1, Haaima refused to come to court, citing his mental health. Later that week, the trial was halted for the day as it prepared to view graphic video, after the defence lawyer said back pain was keeping her from focusing on what was being said. The case has just finished week 24 of an expected 32, with hearings scheduled into March 2027. Image | Kingston Superior Court of Justice, courthouse Caption: (Dan Taekema/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab The list of charges Haaima faces is so long that his lawyer, Natasha Calvinho, asked that she and her client be able to sit rather than remain standing while they were read out, a process that took more than 40 minutes. He has admitted to breaching a non-contact order after he was already in custody, but pleaded not guilty to every other charge. They include 30 counts of sexual assault, several of which are alleged to have involved weapons. There are also multiple charges for allegedly accessing and making child pornography. All are connected to alleged incidents dating between 2007 and April 2022, when he was arrested. 'Sexual violence on an unrelenting scale' "This is a case about sexual violence on an unrelenting scale," said assistant Crown attorney Megan Williams when the trial began on May 29, 2025. "It is about Mr. Haaima's predatory collection of young women and teenaged girls to be used for his sexual domination, fuelled by his violent and pedophilic sexual urges." Court has heard from a complainant who testified Haaima asked her to hold a teddy bear and act "childlike" during sex and others who alleged he showed them child pornography, along with multiple accounts of sexual and violent assaults. Another woman alleged he’d sexually assaulted her with a screwdriver, recalling at the end of May how time spent with Haaima taught her “monsters look like normal people,” as reported by local outlet Kingstonist News. The accused tried to hide his face as he walked into court for the first day of the trial. After months of reporters taking his picture, he doesn't do that anymore. Image | Michael Haaima Caption: Michael Haaima attempts to hide his face while arriving at the Kingston Superior Court of Justice on May 28, 2025. The 41-year-old is facing 98 counts as part of what the Crown described as an alleged "predatory system of sexual violence." (Dan Taekema/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Haaima's lawyer Calvinho has challenged complainants in cross-examination, arguing at times that alleged assaults were actually consensual sex, while seeking to highlight what she’s described as inconsistencies between what the women recall and what they told police or testified. She previously said her client plans to take the stand, though it’s not clear when that will happen. It’s anticipated Calvinho will start arguing her case sometime in July. Both she and Williams, the Crown, declined to comment to CBC News on the length of the case and its impact so far. One observer, however, described a sexual offence trial of this scale as a “massive undertaking” for both lawyers. “If there is a case with as many complainants and as many charges … in Ontario, I've never been aware of one of that magnitude,” said Megan Stephens. Image | Kingston Superior Court of Justice, courthouse Caption: (Dan Taekema/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab She spent a decade working as a lawyer for the Crown before opening her own practice in 2021 where much of her work focuses on representing complainants in sexual assault cases. While Stephens is not currently involved in the trial, she was appointed by the court to represent two complainants on pre-trial applications heard in the spring of 2025. A case stretching over nearly two years will tie up an “extraordinary amount of time” for both the judge presiding and lawyers participating, Stephens said. The Haaima matter is also being heard at a time when resources, from staff to courtrooms, are already stretched, especially for a smaller jurisdiction such as Kingston, Stephens added. Evidence of that problem appeared during another high-profile local case — that of Matthew Splinter, who is facing charges connected to a fatal boat crash. During a hearing in March, a Crown prosecutor pointed to the Haaima trial as an example of an ongoing matter that was eating up court time and causing scheduling difficulties. 'Increased resources' Asked about the trial’s impact during an unrelated news conference in late May, Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey said there had been efforts to increase staffing, including adding three judges in the eastern part of the province. “The judiciary and the Crowns are very sensitive to where the needs are … and they’re pretty nimble about adding resources,” he said. “In fact, in this area the Crown’s office has increased resources in the last while because of this.” Meanwhile, resources to support those testifying in the Haaima trial continue to be strained. Workers with Victim Services of Kingston and Frontenac have been helping complainants prepare for court, then accompanying them to the trial. Image | Paula Laughlin Caption: (Dan Taekema/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab Executive director Paula Laughlin said lengthy proceedings plagued by delays can “create additional emotional, practical, and financial pressures for those involved.” Adjournments can be particularly painful for complainants who prepare for their day in court by reviewing their statements to police, only to have their testimony postponed, sometimes for weeks. “Victims and survivors may face challenges such as arranging time away from work, securing childcare, accessing transportation, and navigating a complex court process,” Laughlin wrote in an email. “Repeated schedule changes can compound these difficulties and create additional stress at a time when individuals are already coping with the effects of victimization and trauma.” 'Invisible impact' Martin, head of counselling for SAC Kingston, said her team has seen that “invisible impact” up close during the Haaima trial. While Ontario Provincial Police transport the accused to and from the courthouse, where Haaima is supplied with meals, complainants are left to fend for themselves, she said. After one woman told SAC she couldn't afford to eat because she'd spent all her money on childcare so she could appear in court, Martin said the centre has tried to subsidize some of those costs for complainants. At least one other complainant was at risk of losing her job and had to get help paying their rent because of the amount of time they’d taken off work to testify amid delays, said Martin. The centre had planned to have someone at the trial every day, but postponements and the sheer length of the matter soon made that impossible. Martin said a regular caseload sees members of her team accompany someone to court around three times a year for a single day of testimony. Supporting a dozen complainants has condensed roughly three years-worth of impact on staff into a single trial, she explained. As the case enters its second year, Martin said she returns to the idea of a book that just can’t be closed, while any hope of healing is left on hold. “Knowing we have to sit with [complainants] in that helplessness and try to support them with whatever limited means we have is very difficult,” she said. More Stories Like This The related links below are generated automatically based on the story you’ve just read. Loading... CBC Lite is a low-bandwidth website. To see what's new, check out our release notes. For high quality images, media, comments, and other additional features visit the full version of this story. We and select advertising partners use trackers to collect some of your data in order to enhance your experience and to deliver personalized content and advertising. If you are not comfortable with the use of this information, please review your device and browser privacy settings before continuing your visit. 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