Music

Jian Ghomeshi found not guilty on all charges

by Jesse Locke

Following his eight-day sexual assault trial in February, Jian Ghomeshi has been found not guilty on all charges. Judge William Horkins delivered his ruling on five charges against the former CBC host — four of sexual assault and one of overcoming resistance by choking — in the Ontario Court of Justice on the morning of March 24th.

At 9:30 a.m., the former Q host arrived at Toronto’s Old City Hall courthouse with his lawyer Marie Henein. He was greeted by protestors chanting “We believe survivors” and carrying signs such as “Ghomeshi is not an isolated incident.”

Judge Horkins spent over an hour reading his 26-page decision, citing inconsistencies in the testimonies of the three women charging Ghomeshi, including Trailer Park Boys actress Lucy DeCoutere. He ruled that “the twists and turns of the complainants’ evidence in this trial illustrate the need to be vigilant in avoiding the equally dangerous false assumption that sexual assault complainants are always truthful.”

CBC News reporter Laura Fraser shared the statements from Judge Horkins’ March 24th decision, where he noted that DeCoutere’s “flirtatious” emails to Ghomeshi dating back to the time of the alleged incidents in 2003 were “out of harmony” with her testimony in court and her “extreme animosity” in interviews with the media and police. The judge also said that witness Sarah Dunsworth had an “extreme dedication to bringing down Ghomeshi” with details of her testimony revealing “dramatically contrary” details to her previous statements.

In the end, Judge Horkins concluded that each witness was “less than full and frank” in their statements to media, police, and the court with evidence “tainted by outright deception.”

After allegations about Ghomeshi emerged in 2014, the 48-year-old media personality made a notorious Facebook post admitting that he engaged in rough sex acts, but that these were always consensual. In November of that year, The Huffington Post reported that 23 women have come forward with separate allegations of harassment or assault against Ghomeshi. He faces one more trial for sexual assault in June.