TRIAL RECAP
Complainant 1
Testimony: When she first met Ghomeshi he seemed charming, a “perfect gentleman.” But as they kissed in his car after a taping of his CBC show >play in late 2002, it was as if a switch flipped. He suddenly grabbed her hair and yanked it back, then stopped, leading her to wonder if he did not know his own strength. In early 2003, she attended another taping and went to Ghomeshi’s home in Riverdale. They were flirting and kissing when he grabbed her hair again and punched her in the head multiple times.
Cross-examination: The defence confronted her with two emails she sent to Ghomeshi, one with a bikini photo attached, in 2004 to contradict her assertion that she did not have any contact with Ghomeshi following the second alleged sexual assault. The complainant said the emails were deliberately flirtatious as “bait” to get Ghomeshi to call her so she could demand an explanation for his actions. Complainant 2 (Lucy DeCoutere)
Testimony: At Ghomeshi’s home after a dinner date he suddenly began kissing her. Almost immediately he put his hand on her throat and pushed her against the wall, choking her. He slapped her twice, paused, looked at her, and slapped her again. “It is impossible to consent to something you are not asked,” she told the court. She remained at Ghomeshi’s home for about an hour before leaving, because she did not want to seem rude or frosty. She didn’t understand what had happened or why, and blamed herself for putting herself in that situation.
Cross-examination: The defence produced a series of emails between DeCoutere and Ghomeshi and a handwritten letter they argue show the alleged sexual assault never happened. In an email sent the day after, DeCoutere wrote she wanted to “f--k (Ghomeshi’s) brains out.” In the letter, sent days later, she signed off: “I love your hands.” DeCoutere said she didn’t remember the letter or the emails, but testified that she had conflicted feelings about Ghomeshi at the time. None of the correspondence changes the fact she was slapped and choked, she said. Complainant 3
Testimony: After meeting up after a cultural event in a park, they were kissing on a bench when Ghomeshi put his hands around her neck and squeezed. He put one hand on her mouth, smothering her. She left and took a cab home. She met Ghomeshi again twice before ending any romantic contact, though she said she intended for them to remain in public at all times. But in a statement to police made shortly before her testimony she admitted that she and Ghomeshi went to her home after they had gone to a bar, and she had given him a hand job. She said she did not reveal this to the police earlier because she was embarrassed and didn’t think it was relevant.
Cross-examination: The defence questioned the timing of her last police statement, suggesting she only told the truth because she knew it would come out in court. The defence also challenged her on the 5,000 messages she exchanged with DeCoutere that began before she went to the police to make a statement. While she maintained they did not discuss their specific allegations, the defence suggested the messages show they did. The complainant said she and DeCoutere became friends after the Ghomeshi story broke.