Suspect accused of targeting Calgary sex workers appears in court
Posted Apr 12, 2023 12:22 pm.
Last Updated Apr 13, 2023 9:01 am.
A man accused of kidnapping, drugging, and sexually assaulting women in Calgary’s sex trade made a brief court appearance Wednesday.
Richard Robert Mantha faces 13 counts, including kidnapping, forcible confinement, “administering a noxious thing,” sexual assault, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, and pointing a firearm.
Calgary police cordoned off a rural property in Chestermere east of the city starting April 6, looking for evidence after at least three sex workers were drugged and physically and sexually assaulted.
The investigation brought dozens of officers, forensic investigators, and cadaver dogs to the acreage.
Wearing a blue jumper and wide-rimmed glasses, the 59-year-old appeared monotone through CCTV.
His first court appearance was very brief, less than five minutes before he said “bless you” to the judge and was dismissed.
Read More: Man faces 13 counts for sexual assault, kidnapping women: Calgary police
Investigators say he had three outstanding warrants for sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm, and failure to appear in court.
The Calgary Police Service then got involved as more people came forward.
Investigators believe at least three women were approached by a man on 19 Avenue SE in Forest Lawn between December 2021 and March 2023, where the women were allegedly drugged and taken to a rural property where they were physically and sexually assaulted.
Mantha’s lawyer provided no comment.
-With files from The Canadian Press
