PORT TOWNSEND — Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a Brinnon man accused of 41 counts of rape and assault against the Filipino woman he brought to his home with the promise of marriage.
Patrick John McAllister, 49, was arrested Aug. 5, 2010, and has been free on a $100,000 bond since that time.
Lance Hester, one of the attorneys representing McAllister, said Monday that his client will plead not guilty and expects exoneration.
“There is no truth to these charges,” he said.
“During the trial we will reveal the truth about this relationship.”
McAllister was introduced to the alleged victim, then 22, by her brother-in-law who lives in Jefferson County.
They began a long-distance relationship with her, phoning her for several months while she was living with her family in the Philippines, according to court documents.
McAllister visited her in the Philippines in 2008,. Upon his return, told her that he wanted to marry her and “would give her a good life.”
She arrived in Seattle on March 14, 2010, and was brought to McAllister’s home in Brinnon.
The Aug. 3 incident report documents 24 instances of sexual violence between March 18 and April 26, 2010, at which time the woman escaped McAllister’s house and sought help from police.
It took 15 months to file charges because the woman spoke a Filipino dialect for which no certified translator was available, court documents said.
Since the arraignment the woman has been staying in the area at an undisclosed location,
She has improved her English skills since that time and is expected to testify in English without a translator, according to Deputy Prosecutor Miriam Norman.
Jury selection was scheduled to take most of Monday morning with opening statements expected to begin in the afternoon.
Attorneys expect the trial to take about a week.
If convicted, McAllister could serve a life sentence, according to Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Scott Rosekrans.
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
