Another woman, who is an author and a lawyer, writes an article for the Huffington Post involving her own allegations of an aggressive, non-consensual encounter with Ghomeshi.
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Despite that, she said, she went to two more tapings of his show and accepted an invitation to his home.
The woman’s first and only mention of a possible contact came when she told prosecutor Michael Callaghan that she had “a vague recollection of composing an email, but I don’t remember if I even sent it”.
Dalhousie University law professor Elaine Craig says it’s a “very common” strategy used by defence lawyers in sexual assault case is to point out conflicting statements made by the complainant to police, media or pre-trial hearing.
Alas, it would be giving too much credit to Henein, who is Ghomeshi’s lead defence lawyer.
“You’re now inviting the man who traumatized you to get in touch with you?”
“The email was bait”, the witness responded. It was bait to call me, so that I could get an explanation as to why he had violently punched me in the head.
“I really liked him”.
Henein showed the court another email, dated six months later. She attached a photograph of herself on a beach wearing a bikini. “Give me a call, ‘ I don’t think he would”.
The incident, in December 2002, occurred as they sat in his yellow VW Beetle near the CBC building in Toronto, she told court.
“I told them the truth that day through my nerves”, the witness answered.
“Your truth keeps changing”, Henein said. “I disagree. It was not a lie”, the woman said on the stand, when remembering the Global National appearance.
The former host of CBC Radio’s popular culture show “Q” has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault – two of which relate to the first witness – and one count of overcoming resistance by choking.
The first witness at the sexual assault trial of a former Canadian Broadcast Corp. radio host testified Monday that he was charming before he suddenly went into a rage, pulling her hair and punching her, 13 years ago. They were driving in his auto and while they were kissing, he pulled his hair and she described it as “painful and sudden”.
She said that she did not go to the police at that time because she was not sure if they would believe her. She then never saw Ghomeshi after the second incident. Ghomeshi had been flirtatious, but she had no qualms accepting a ride with him, the woman testified.
It is tempting to say that if the first complainant in the Jian Ghomeshi sex assault trial thought the former CBC star threw a hard right cross, that was before she learned about Marie Henein’s.
“I want to encourage other victims of abuse to come forward, and not be afraid”, she said. “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that I’ve had the chance to tell my story openly”.
Ghomeshi faces four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking to overcome resistance.
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Part of the Crown’s preparation for trial is meeting with a witness to go over their prior statements and take note of any inconsistencies, Ridgedale said.
