Two sexual assault charges against Alberta spiritual leader John de Ruiter stayed by Crown
Michelle Davio, a spokesperson with Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, confirmed that one count of sexual assault was stayed in February, and a second count was stayed on Monday.
The prosecution service isn't commenting further on the stayed charges because the other charges against Mr. de Ruiter remain before the courts, Ms. Davio said in an e-mailed statement Monday.
Mr. de Ruiter, 65, will now face trial on six charges of sexual assault. His wife, Leigh Ann de Ruiter, 66, is also facing six counts of sexual assault in the same allegations, and will face trial at the same time as her husband. Their trial is currently slated for January, and is expected to last more than four months.
The sexual assault allegations date back to 2012, and involve adult women who were among Mr. de Ruiter's vast community of followers.
Both Mr. and Ms. De Ruiter have pleaded not guilty.
Alberta spiritual leader and his wife plead not-guilty to sex assault charges
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Mr. de Ruiter's lawyer, Dino Bottos, confirmed that the charges had been stayed, but declined to comment.
Mr. de Ruiter, whose given name is Johannes, is the heart of a dedicated community of followers from around the world, for which he is 'the living embodiment of truth.' The group is sometimes called the College of Integrated Philosophy or Oasis.
Questions about Mr. de Ruiter's sexual relationships with followers were the focus of a Globe investigation in 2017. He was arrested by Edmonton Police Service officers in 2024, and charged with four counts of sexual assault.
At the time of his arrest, police said Mr. de Ruiter had told women among his group that he 'was directed by a spirit to engage in sexual activity with them,' which would 'provide them an opportunity to achieve a state of higher being or spiritual enlightenment.'
Mr. and Ms. De Ruiter are currently living under a number of conditions while on bail, including not to have any intimate or explicit images of women involved in the case, and not to share any of the Crown's evidence in the case. Mr. de Ruiter is also barred from contact with women other than his wife, ex-wife and immediate family.
Mr. de Ruiter's community had been based in Edmonton, but in recent years has begun migrating to an isolated rural area around Fort Assiniboine, northwest of the city.
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