Nova Scotia judge reserves decision at Calgary woman's trial on historical sex charge

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaNewsNova ScotiaHalifax Nova Scotia judge reserves decision at Calgary woman's trial on historical sex charge Mary Isabelle Mansfield, 69, is accused of indecently assaulting girl in Dartmouth in late 1970s Author of the article: By Steve Bruce Published Sep 16, 2026 3 minute read Mary Isabelle Mansfield, 69, of Calgary leaves Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Dartmouth with lawyer Carbo Kwan during a break at her trial on a historical charge of indecent assault. The judge will deliver the verdict Oct. 20. PHOTO BY STEVE BRUCE /The Chronicle Herald Article content Editor’s note: This article contains details readers may find disturbing. Article content Article content Article content A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has reserved his decision at a Calgary woman’s trial in Dartmouth on a historical charge of indecent assault. Article content Mary Isabelle Mansfield, 69, is accused of applying Vaseline to the anal area of a teenage girl before the youth was allegedly raped by her former husband at their Dartmouth apartment sometime in 1978 or 1979. Article content Article content There’s a publication ban on the identity of the complainant, who was 15 when she moved in with Mansfield and Trueman Roland (Rollie) Hughes in the summer of 1978. Article content The girl lived with the couple until July 1979, when she moved to Calgary to reside with Hughes’s family. She was pregnant with Hughes’s baby when she went to Alberta but ended up having a miscarriage. Article content About 45 years went by before the woman contacted police in Halifax in 2024 to report that she had been sexually abused by Hughes and Mansfield. Article content Hughes was charged with two counts of indecent assault and single counts of gross indecency, rape and having sexual intercourse with a female between the ages of 14 and 16. Article content He was supposed to go on trial with Mansfield last week but died Aug. 13 at the age of 77. The trial proceeded on just the charge of indecent assault against Mansfield. Article content The complainant testified that she remembers being on top of the couple’s bed with them one afternoon. She said everyone was naked and Hughes was between the two females, taking turns kissing them on the lips. Article content Article content The woman said she recalls being on her stomach and feeling Mansfield applying…