A pregnant teenager who was jailed for more than a week to ensure that she testified against an allegedly abusive boyfriend said in court Friday that she lied during her emergency call to authorities.
Noellee Mowatt, 19, said that Christopher Harbin never attacked her. She said the marks on her arms and face shown in court on police photos were the result of bug bites, falling on the carpet at home, and sleeping on something hard.
The case has sparked criticism of how Canada deals with accusations of domestic abuse.
Mowatt called police after an argument with Harbin in December, but then refused to cooperate with authorities. She was taken into custody on April 1 to make sure she would appear in court and was released in time for her Friday testimony.
Harbin is charged with assault, assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, theft and breaching a probation order.
Mowatt said in a jailhouse interview earlier she would not call police for help again, and said her arrest would deter others from seeking help.
"I thought they only put guilty people in jail, not innocent, pregnant women," she said. She said she was "scared, terrified, and angry."
Mowatt said she hopes Harbin is acquitted so they can build a life together. She is due to give birth mid-May.
