A defendant in Steven Galloway’s defamation lawsuit testified Monday that she had been concerned about the mental health of the woman who accused the author and former University of British Columbia professor of sexual assault.

According to CBC’s Brenna Owen, Mandi Gray told the B.C. Supreme Court trial in Vancouver that she had become a trusted contact for the woman, identified as A.B. under a publication ban. Gray described concerns about possible self-harm shortly before the allegations became public in November 2015, while acknowledging that she was not offering a clinical assessment.

Galloway denies the rape and sexual assault allegations. A retired judge hired by UBC later found the assault allegations unsubstantiated. The university fired Galloway, who says the claims destroyed his career.

Gray, now an assistant professor at Trent University, testified that A.B. had been upset about multiple calls from Galloway within a short period. Gray said she suggested the unwanted contact could be a reason to report her allegations.

Gray also testified that A.B. told her she had tried to report the allegations to a UBC official in 2013 but had found the experience unpleasant and was unclear about what would happen next.

Galloway is suing A.B. and other defendants over their publication of the unproven allegations on social media and elsewhere. A.B. is not testifying, citing mental health struggles. The court heard last month that she was no longer asserting in her defence that Galloway assaulted her, but rather that she reported he had done so.

Gray testified last week that she regretted some online posts about Galloway. Her lawyer told the court that Gray had withdrawn some defences for certain statements while continuing to defend others as fair comment.

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