EDMONTON -- A former bar employee facing several counts of sexual assault pleaded not guilty to all charges Wednesday.
After the jury of eight women and five men was sworn in, Matthew McKnight pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of sexual assault, one of which included a threat of bodily harm.
McKnight is accused of sexually assaulting 13 women between the ages of 17 and 22 from 2010 until 2016, when he worked at Knoxville's Tavern.
Only five of the women came forward to police right away, the crown said, while the rest reported the sexual assaults to police when a news release came out in August 2016.
The defence will offer its remarks at a later date.
The trial, expected to be a lengthy one, will resume next Tuesday.
Twelve of the 13 women are expected to testify.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
