Testimony in the sexual assault trial of Halifax lawyer Lyle Howe began Tuesday with the alleged victim.
The charges date back to March, 2011.
The woman testified that Lyle Howe asked her if she would go on a date with one of his friends.
She told the court they went for drinks and then returned to her apartment.
She testified she remembers kissing Howe before a blackout that lasted most of the night.
The woman was often in tears during her testimony.
“I expect in any case of this nature, that you'd expect that there would be an emotional toll on a witness, and it certainly isn't our goal to keep her up there any longer than we need to, but we have a lot of evidence to get through in this case,” says Crown Attorney Dan Rideout.
“There's an awful lot that she can't talk about, because she simply can't remember. So, certainly, a large part of it will be what she recalls happening, but there is a lot she doesn't recall because of the condition she was in,” says Howe’s defence lawyer, Mike Taylor.
The witness says she woke up in her apartment the next morning feeling sick, with pain in various parts of her body.
Howe is also charged with administering a noxious substance.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
