Jury convicts Kamloops serial rapist

A man facing ten counts of sexual assault was convicted in Kamloops after an eight-day trial. The jury returned after more than a day of deliberations to find Joel Eric Carlson guilty on six of ten charges. Seven complainants testified against him throughout the trial, with some incidents dating back more than ten years ago. Some were in Kamloops and some were in the Lower Mainland. The most recent was in 2018, but he was charged in 2021. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/former-kamloops-man-wanted-for-numerous-sexual-assault-charges-arrested-in-lower-mainland/it84763 They each had very different accounts of how he sexually assaulted them https://infotel.ca/newsitem/control-and-power-seven-women-testify-against-alleged-kamloops-serial-rapist/it105208 . The first woman to testify said he refused to use a condom despite it being her "rule." What ensued, she recounted, was a forceful rape that she could not fight off. "It made me feel very... small, insignificant, powerless, tiny, like I didn't matter, worthless," she told the jury. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/first-of-seven-alleged-victims-tell-kamloops-jury-of-sexual-assault-11-years-ago/it105057 The verdict is now his second after he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman in Vernon four years ago https://infotel.ca/newsitem/no-jail-for-kamloops-man-who-sexually-assaulted-vernon-teen-on-tinder-date/it92586 . He was convicted in July 2022, but he was ordered to take a year of counselling rather than jail time. For the Vernon sexual assault he was charged in 2020. Police issued a news release with a mug shot and the announcement spurred most of the complainants in the Kamloops trial to come forward. Carlson's lawyer Lisa Helps told the jury the complainants were all women who had an "axe to grind." https://infotel.ca/newsitem/lawyers-deliver-closing-arguments-in-kamloops-serial-sexual-assault-trial/it105294 Some he dated and some he cheated on ex-girlfriends with. They were angry with him. "Some of them, I think, have decided after the fact a type of buyer's remorse, that they never should have done anything with him and decided it was sexual assault," Helps said in her closing arguments. The jury was sequestered on July 19 after receiving instructions from Justice Paul Riley. At around 8:30 p.m., July 20, they returned with their verdict. Now guilty on six of the 10 sexual assault charges, Carlson is out of custody awaiting his sentence. Lawyers will appear in court again next month, but it's not clear when he will be sentenced. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .