Former Canadian radio host’s trail for sexual assault begins

The former host of “Q” on CBC Radio will be tried by judge alone, after pleading not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking.

The former host of Q, an internationally syndicated Canadian Broadcasting Corporation music and arts program, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking.

“He pulls my head down, and at the same time, he’s punching me in the head, multiple times”, she testified.

“Some of them are just very courageous to put their names and faces out there in connection with these charges”, he said.

The witness said Ghomeshi had a Volkswagen Beetle at the time, but he did not purchase it until months later, Henein said.

She noted, however, that the three women involved in Ghomeshi’s upcoming trial can likely expect a tough time in the courtroom.

Ghomeshi’s desfense attorney sought to discredit the alleged victim’s story in court today, attempting to suggest she lied to police by giving them “different versions” of the alleged assault.

According to Decoutere, in an interview with CBC, Ghomeshi allegedly physically attacked her following a date with him in 2003.

Pre-trial accounts of alleged offences – as is the case with one of the complainants in the Ghomeshi trial who alleged the broadcaster choked her to the point where she couldn’t breath – are also open to scrutiny.

‘He didn’t apologize, he didn’t ask if I was OK, ‘ she testified.

The intense level of scrutiny the case has drawn has led some to believe Ghomeshi’s trial will showcase the strengths and weaknesses of the legal system when it comes to such allegations.

After the scandal broke, an independent investigation slammed the CBC for ignoring Ghomeshi’s behavior in the workplace because he boosted ratings.

During examination-in-chief the woman testified she had been in contact with one of the other two complainants, Lucy DeCoutere, but they did not discuss the details of their respective allegations. She was the first woman to speak on the record about her encounter with Ghomeshi but he said that the accusations against him are false and that it is all being brought up due to an angry ex-girlfriend.

“He said something along the lines of, ‘Do you like it like that?’ And I don’t like that”. Before the court broke for lunch, Henein had begun to ask the woman pointed questions about how briefly police questioned her complaint of sexual assault, her media appearances to discuss her alleged assault, her level of excitement after a first date to see Ghomeshi again and her age.

May 12, 2015: Crown prosecutor Michael Callaghan says two sexual assault charges are dropped against Ghomeshi because there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.

“My default position is transparency…The exhibits will be made available”, Horkins said. Millard and Smich face life in prison if convicted.

“To state the obvious, this trial has attracted an extraordinary amount of media attention”, Ontario court Judge William Horkins said as proceedings got underway.