Key dates in the Jian Ghomeshi case

He has pleaded not guilty.

“To state the obvious, this trial has attracted an extraordinary amount of media attention”, Ontario court Judge William Horkins said as proceedings got underway with a discussion about allowing media access to exhibits tendered as evidence.

Jian Ghomeshi was portrayed Monday as a flirtatious charmer with a sinister side at his long-anticipated sexual assault trial that featured the disgraced broadcaster’s defence lawyer suggesting the first woman to testify against him was lying.

The first witness at the Jian Ghomeshi sex assault trial is facing intensifying cross-examination.

In a dramatic development that set the courtroom on edge, Ghomeshi’s lawyer produced two emails that appeared to contradict the woman’s statements that she had been so traumatized by what happened, she’d even turn off the TV or radio when he came on.

Toronto police charged him after several women came forward with sexual assault complaints that allegedly occurred over several years. “So I’m feeling very safe at the moment, when I’m with him”.

After going for a drink she said he took her to his auto, where after kissing her he pulled her hair violently for two to three seconds.

She told the court Ghomeshi once yanked hard on her hair without warning when they were kissing in his auto, and on another night a few weeks later, started suddenly punching her in the head while they were kissing in his living room.

THE COMPLAINANTS: Three women, only one of whom can be named, are behind the charges brought against Ghomeshi. If I’d just said “Give me a call”, I didn’t think he would. He had been so nice.

Ghomeshi all listened calmly and without discernible emotion, at times lowering the head.

She never saw him again after the second incident, she testified.

The witness added that she had “no interest” in Ghomeshi at the time she sent the messages. “I don’t know why he’s doing this. And my ears are ringing and I felt like I was going to faint and pass out on his floor”, she testified. ‘He threw me out like trash’.

Ghomeshi is represented by defense lawyer Marie Henein, whose former clients include Michael Bryant, the one-time attorney general. It has been more than a year since allegations against the former CBC Radio host first surfaced.

“I do”, the woman said.

During cross-examination, Henein pointed to discrepancies in the witness’ account of the alleged assaults to police, media and to the court.

She told Ghomeshi’s lawyer that any inconsistencies in her statements are due to memory lapses or being nervous. “I disagree. It was not a lie”, the woman said on the stand, when remembering the Global National appearance. “I sent a photograph, again, as bait”.

However, in a lengthy Facebook post in 2014, he wrote that he engaged in “rough sex” but insisted the encounters were consensual. The Toronto Star publishes a story saying Ghomeshi showed CBC executives videos of some of his sexual encounters.

Ghomeshi has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance, choking.