Warning: Some may find the details and images in this story disturbing.
SASKATOON -- A man took the stand in his own trial on Wednesday afternoon, claiming he acted in self-defence.
Cory Smockum, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault and choking in connection to an incident involving Adrienne Lennie on Oct. 13, 2018.
Smockum said he never threatened to kill Lennie and the two didn’t have any sexual interactions the night of the alleged incident.
The accused did say he punched Lennie out of self-defence.
Both Lennie and Smockum testified they attended a quad rally that October day, and went to the Hanley bar that evening.
Both agreed they had an argument at the bar, involving another man who Lennie allegedly touched.
After the day and night of drinking, Lennie and Smockum ended up at a garage that belonged to a man they just met at a bar.
Court heard they were alone in the garage, there to pickup their quad.
What happened in the garage is where their testimonies differed.
Lennie said Smockum got on top of her, continuously punched her in the face and choked her unconscious three times.
She testified Smockum threatened to kill her, and even told her parents in a phone call that their daughter was going to die.
The 30-year-old said Smockum made her perform oral sex and forced her to pull her pants down for anal sex.
Smockum, on the stand, denied the sexual assault
‘I choke-slammed her’: Smockum testifies, denies phone death threats
He said he did punch Lennie in the face, but it was after Lennie swung first.
Smockum said he was bent over picking up his quad helmet and as he was getting up, Lennie swung a hammer at his head.
He said the hammer hit his stomach, injuring his ribs.
“Out of reaction, I swung,” Smockum told the 12-person jury. He said he punched her in the face.
When Lennie came at him a second time, Smockum said “I choke-slammed her.”
He grabbed her by the throat and put her to the ground and she started apologizing, Smockum testified.
On the first day of Smockum’s trial, Lennie’s mom and step-dad told court they spoke to Smockum on the phone that night. He made threats that their daughter was going to die.
Smockum said while he did speak to Lennie’s parents, he said they “twisted” his words because he never made death threats.
The jury heard Smockum has a lengthy criminal history, with several sexual assault convictions.
After the abuse in the garage, Lennie said Smockum told her “get up” because she “wasn’t going to die here.”
She testified they got on the quad and were going to go to a river, where Smockum told her they would both die and no one would find her body “like Ashley Morin.”
Smockum disagreed that he made death threats. He said they weren’t headed to a river, but rather back to Lennie’s home.
Both testified the ATV flipped, with the quad landing on Smockum and Lennie running away.
Lennie eventually ended up in a police cruiser. She was treated for broken ribs, a brain bleed and had multiple stitches.
At the beginning of Smockum’s testimony, he fought tears, saying his family didn’t come to court because Lennie threatened them there would be “a brawl” if they showed up.
Smockum’s cross-examination is scheduled for Thursday morning.
