Ghomeshi, 48, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance, choking in connection with the case.
Advertisement
Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page has tweeted her support for “Trailer Park Boys” star Lucy DeCoutere after a rough day at the Jian Ghomeshi sexual assault trial.
A local advocate for sexual assault victims says the ongoing criminal trial of Jian Ghomeshi might scare some women away from reporting their abuse to authorities.
Marie Henein said the complainant, who can not be named, gave the statement after hearing media reports about the trial, which she wasn’t supposed to do.
The magic moment came Monday, when Ghomeshi’s third accuser was being grilled about some of the 5,000 messages she exchanged in the relevant period from the fall of 2014 to the fall of 2015 with fellow Ghomeshi complainant Lucy DeCoutere.
Callaghan said the new witness – whose identity is protected by a publication ban – would put to rest allegations that DeCoutere fabricated the story to win notoriety and fame.
“I realized something’s not right”, she told Ontario Court Judge William Horkins.
“When the group asked how she knew Ghomeshi, the witness said he replied, “‘Oh, we’re engaged'”.
Earlier last week, the first witness who can not be identified testified Ghomeshi acted like a gentleman, but quickly turned, and became violent, pulling her hair and punching her several times in the head.
“The thing you wanted to tell (police)”, Henein said, “was when you went to that bar on King Street, Mr. Ghomeshi came home with you and then you messed around and gave him a hand job”.
DeCoutere said she didn’t “remember writing it”, which is why she didn’t tell the Crown or police about it in her sworn statements.
Days after the last date, she said she saw Ghomeshi at a party in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood.
The complainant said she invited Ghomeshi to an event where someone she was close to was performing.
Now what she’d originally told the police, quite specifically, was that that night, “I took a cab”.
“But she went out with him again, for dinner and drinks on King Street (asked why, she told Callaghan “…he’s very charming and you sort of second-guess yourself”), but there was nothing remarkable about the evening, she said.
They kissed a while, the woman said, and then at some point she felt “his hands were around my neck and he was squeezing”. She said nothing aggressive happened and she wasn’t afraid during the interaction. She claimed on the witness stand to have forgotten about the email and another flirtatious email she sent a year after.
Advertisement
Henein said the woman had also indicated that she had been following coverage of the trial, contrary to a court order, and called the new developments “disturbing”.
