A Lethbridge man accused of taking women hostage and sexually assaulting them has been released

A Lethbridge man accused of holding two women in his home and sexually abusing them for days has been released from custody.

Bernard Alonzo Gibson, 60, saw one charge stayed and pleaded guilty to the second set of lesser offenses after the alleged victim died of unrelated causes.

He was given a prison sentence of 18 months, which he had already served at the time of his plea.

In March 2023, Gibson was accused of locking a woman in his home for two days before she escaped.

He was accused of sexual assault, unlawful confinement and bodily harm.

Gibson was then released on bail.

2nd incident weeks after publication

Weeks later, police were called to his Lethbridge home after his landlord reported finding another woman in the basement.

The 30-year-old woman was taken to Chinook Regional Hospital with injuries described at the time as “serious.”

Police believed the woman met Gibson outside Lethbridge. It is alleged that the woman was driven into the city, taken to Gibson’s south home and held there against her will while she was sexually abused.

He was charged with a second set of offenses including aggravated sexual assault and unlawful imprisonment.

Sentence served

In August, the Crown dropped the initial charges. It is unknown why, although the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service stays charges if the prosecutor determines there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction or if it is not in the public interest to pursue the case.

Gibson was scheduled to stand trial next week in Lethbridge on the second charge, but the plaintiff died.

In lieu of trial, he pleaded guilty last month to assault and unlawful imprisonment and was sentenced to 18 months in prison at the joint request of defense attorney Robin McIntyre and prosecutor Kathleen Tokaruk.

Gibson was released from prison with credit for time already served.