Appeal court rules against new trial for Edmonton man who sexually abused teen girls

A man who sexually abused a group of teenage girls in Edmonton has been denied a new trial.

In a decision released Dec. 20, 2024, the Court of Appeal of Alberta dismissed an appeal from Noor Sultan, who is serving 11 years in prison for offences including child luring and sexual interference.

A panel of three judges rejected Sultan's argument that the jury wasn't properly instructed before deliberating and finding him guilty on 12 charges.

"The way the evidence unfolded in the trial meant that the instructions as given were to the benefit of the appellant," the court said in its decision, concluding that the jury instructions were "functionally sufficient" in the circumstances.

Sultan was 26 in 2020 when he was arrested and accused of using Snapchat to contact several teen girls, who were 14 at the time, and coerce them into sexual activity.

At Sultan's 2022 trial, the court heard evidence that he arranged meetings with the girls, promising them alcohol, prescription medication and vapes in exchange for sexual acts. Four teens testified about several incidents where they met him in person, going in his car or meeting him at an auto shop, where they were made to perform sexual acts.

The girls told the court that they went in groups to the meet with Sultan, but in one case, one of the teens met with him alone.

Sultan admitted to some of the meetings, and said he gave the teenagers alcohol on two occasions, but denied that any sexual activity happened.

Court dismisses both grounds of appeal

Sultan's trial originally proceeded on 18 charges involving five girls, who were all friends. Some of the charges were stayed, including the counts related to one girl who didn't testify, leaving 12 charges for the jury to consider.

In his appeal, Sultan argued that the jury wasn't adequately instructed about how each count he faced must be assessed separately to determine whether they were proven.

Sultan also said that a new trial is necessary because the jury wasn't specifically warned about the danger of using "bad character" evidence in coming to a decision.

Alberta's top court dismissed both grounds of the appeal.

"When the trial judge instructed the jury on the elements of the offences, he was exacting in his direction to prove each essential element on each count beyond a reasonable doubt," the decision says.

"In addition ... the jury was also instructed on the importance of impartiality and of approaching the evidence in an unbiased manner unaffected by passion, sympathy or prejudice extensively in both the opening and final instructions."