Earlier this month, former radio host Jian Ghomeshi’s sexual assault trial got underway. Primed to be one of the most publicized court cases in Canadian history, here is a basic overview of the accused, the charges, and the key players in the trial:
Credit: Jian Ghomeshi, courtesy Penmachine/Wikimedia Commons.
Who is this guy?
Jian Ghomeshi is a London, England-born Canadian musician, writer, and former radio host. Born to Iranian parents, his family moved to Canada when he was seven and settled in Thornhill, Ontario. He rose to moderate fame during the 1990s as a member of Moxy Fruvous, a folk-pop band based in Thornhill. He was a fixture on CBC television and radio from 2002 onwards, most notably as the co-creator and host of Q, a radio program featuring interviews with cultural and entertainment figures. The show gained huge popularity during Ghomeshi’s 2007-2014 tenure, and is heard today across Canada and on many public radio stations in the United States.
Who is accusing him?
Although Ghomeshi had reportedly faced allegations of sexual harassment for several years, they were not widely known to the general public until 2014. In October, Ghomeshi publicly announced an indefinite leave of absence from the CBC. Shortly afterwards, the Toronto Star published allegations from three women who said they had experienced non-consensual violence at Ghomeshi’s hands. Following the Star’s story, more women came forward, and by mid-December 15 women had approached media outlets with their stories.
What are the charges?
Ghomeshi is charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking. The five charges are in connection with three complainants. Each count of sexual assault carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in jail. His trial began on February 1.
What to expect from the trial:
By Canadian standards, Ghomeshi’s trial is already one of the most publicized in recent memory. Local media outlets are offering day-by-day recaps of the proceedings, and the courthouse is surrounded each morning by a throng of journalists and media personnel. Adding another frenzied layer to an already chaotic environment, reporters outside the courthouse were threatened by a man wielding a cordless electric saw on Friday morning.
The trial will be presided over by Judge William Horkins, who gained notoriety three years ago by ruling that police carding tactics were unconstitutional. He was called to the bar in 1980 and appointed to the bench in 1998.
Michael Callaghan is the Crown’s lead prosecutor. He has previously prosecuted a man who fatally shot his father with a cross bow at a Toronto public library, a serial arsonist who set fire to the Empress Hotel, and a hockey coach who videotaped teenage athletes in the showers. “He’s well-balanced as a prosecutor,” said Anthony Moustacalis, president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, according to the Huffington Post. “He has a good reputation for good judgement but also trial skills.”
Defending Ghomeshi will be Marie Henein, a high-profile Toronto lawyer who articled under famed defence lawyer Edward Greenspan. She was called to the bar In 1992 and has defended Nova Scotia premier Gerald Regan, former attorney general Michael Bryant, and disgraced hockey agent David Frost. She has been featured in Toronto Life magazine, and has been compared, favourably, to Hannibal Lector.
Ghomeshi’s trial is expected to last for several weeks, and will no doubt feature numerous twists and turns which the media will minutely scrutinize. It will be interesting to observe how both Ghomeshi and his accusers are treated by the media outlets as the trial progresses, and what the public reaction will be when a ruling is eventually reached.
