Music

Jian Ghomeshi was hiding at a cottage but now must live with his mother in Thornhill

by Mark Teo

After disappearing from the spotlight, Jian Ghomeshi—who was rumoured to be hiding in L.A.—was arrested yesterday, and made his first public appearance in weeks. He submitted to police, and now faces four charges of sexual assault and one count of choking to overcome resistance—which can carry a maximum of life in prison. Ghomeshi, according to his lawyer, Marie Henein, pleaded not guilty, and he was released on $100,000 bail and, as part of his bail conditions, was asked to live with his mom, surrender his passport, and have no contact with the alleged victims.

It was an explosive step forward in a story that, for the last several weeks, has been at a standstill. Yesterday, as a ragged-looking Ghomeshi made his appearance, he was surrounded by a massive crowd—and exited the courts tailed by a police helicopter. The crowd openly jeered Ghomeshi, which rapidly turned ugly: According to NOW magazine, one lowlife even yelled “Go back to Iran, Jian!”

But aside from his bail conditions, we learned several new details about Ghomeshi: Before his appearance in court, Ghomeshi hadn’t, in fact, escaped to L.A.—the Star reports that he was staying at a friend’s cottage near Mindon, ON. He hired a private security company, staffed by ex-policemen, to transport him to and from the court. And his court date will happen in 2015—on January 8, to be exact.

The news of Ghomeshi’s arrest also sparked comment from Lucy DeCoutere, the Trailer Park Boys actress who went public with her allegations against Ghomeshi.

“The past month has seen a major shift in the conversation about violence against women,” she said in a statement. “It has been an overwhelming and painful time for many people, including myself, but also very inspiring. I hope that victims’ voices continue to be heard and that this is the start of a change that is so desperately needed.”

His defense team, meanwhile, will come courtesy of Henein Hutchison LLP. Who, as Redditor EugeneFM noted, look like they could’ve been lifted from an HBO drama.

We’ll keep you updated on any developments.