The woman allegedly assaulted by Michael Nehass fabricated her story because she didn’t like Nehass and wanted him out of the way.

The lawyer appointed to assist in a jury trial made that argument Wednesday in Yukon Supreme Court.

Bibhas Vaze suggested the woman thought Nehass was a “stupid young punk.”

In the days before the Dec. 21, 2011, incident, she called Nehass’ father and told him she wanted to put his son in jail, Vaze told the court.

The woman was heavily involved in drug trafficking in Watson Lake at the time, and she was high on the day of the alleged assault, Vaze posited.

The alleged victim, 50-year-old Agnes Reid, denied all of this.

Nehass, 31, is charged with uttering threats, assault with a knife, forcible confinement, intimidation and a breach of his probation. He is self-represented.

Vaze cross-examined Reid Wednesday, questioning details of the story she’d told in court the day before to Crown prosecutor Terri Kaur.

Reid testified Tuesday that she was leaving Lakeview Apartments in Watson Lake when Nehass “hollered” at her from the door. He was shirtless, with no socks or shoes on.

Reid, who said she’d known Nehass since he was a child, went over to him.

Vaze said this was unbelievable.

If Reid was in a rush that day to get home to her granddaughter, as she said she was, Vaze said, why did she go over to the shirtless man beckoning to her?

“I know that kid,” she replied. “I had no problem with him.”

Reid said he then grabbed her and dragged her up a stairwell by her hair.

Given Nehass’ “very thin” frame, Vaze asked, why didn’t the woman pull away from him? Reid said she tried, but he had a strong grip on her.

She didn’t yell out for help in the hallway before she and Nehass entered a friend’s apartment, she said.

There, he proceeded to hit and choke her, Reid said Tuesday. The friend and her spouse didn’t call RCMP, despite Reid’s urging, she said.

Nehass pulled a pocketknife from his jeans and held it to her throat, she said. If she called police, he would kill her and her family, he allegedly told her.

Her friend told Nehass “not to cut my throat in her apartment because she didn’t want blood everywhere,” Reid testified.

The ordeal lasted 30 to 45 minutes, until Nehass abruptly left, she said. She left the apartment with her friend, then drove to her home about five minutes away, she said.

Reid said Tuesday she called RCMP four or five hours later, once her son-in-law had come home from Fort Nelson, B.C. and picked up her granddaughter.

But under cross-examination yesterday, Reid said she didn’t think she’d waited that long.

She was scared to make the call because of Nehass’ threat, she said.

“He had a gun too,” Reid added Wednesday. This is the first mention of a gun during the trial.

Photos taken by RCMP show some redness on her neck, but Reid said she sustained no physical injuries in the assault.

Vaze said this was “unbelievable and untrue” given it was a lengthy, violent assault she described.

If she was so distraught, he asked, why didn’t she drive with her granddaughter to the RCMP detachment?

Reid said she didn’t want to involve the child and scare her.

Reid’s son, Terence Dendys, also testified Wednesday.

He said his mother hadn’t been drinking or doing drugs that day. He was at home when she returned from Lakeview Apartments and saw some redness on her face and neck, he said.

Terence Dendys Sr., Reid’s former partner, lived next door to where the alleged assault occurred.

He said he was home that day, and doesn’t recall hearing any strange noises coming from the hall or apartment next door.

He admitted he had likely been drinking at the time.

The trial continued this morning with further testimony.