Adam Kovac

Special for USA TODAY

MONTREAL — Popular Canadian radio host Jian Ghomeshi was acquitted of sexual assault charges Thursday, following a two-year legal battle that captivated Canadians and cast into the national spotlight a debate about what constitutes workplace sexual misbehavior.

Ghomeshi faced four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking, based on alleged incidents with three women. He is the former host of Q, a Canadian Broadcasting Corp. radio show on culture.

Since its beginning, the case has prompted discussion in Canada about how the justice system handles sexual assault cases, so the verdict was not a shock to groups that work with abused women.

“We're very concerned that this creates a culture where women who have experienced violence are made to believe that it's their fault, that it makes them less likely to come forward and report the abuse,” said Keetha Mercer, manager of violence prevention programs at the Canadian Women's Foundation. “It also takes the blame away from the perpetrator and reinforces that violence is OK and acceptable.”

The verdict by a judge in Toronto concluded the controversial case that began in October 2014, when Ghomeshi said in a lengthy Facebook post that he was fired by the CBC because of his fondness for bondage and other sexual activities that he stressed were always consensual. He filed a $50 million wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer, but later withdrew it.

Soon, women came forward and flooded the media with accounts of dates that turned violent and of inappropriate workplace behavior.

Justice William Horkins, in his lengthy ruling, said the three women who testified at the trial were less than frank and forthcoming. He criticized the women for speaking to the media before police and noted all three were fans of Ghomeshi's before entering into relationships with him.

“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,” the judge said.

In a case where contradictory statements from the women played a key role, some blamed the prosecution for not thoroughly investigating their claims. The prosecutor may have been handed “an unfortunate combination of circumstances,” University of Toronto law professor Peter Rosenthal said.

“They didn't interrogate the witnesses ahead of time as much as they might have," he said. "On the other hand, it's hard for them to know how much to do so, because any information they do get from the witness would have to be given over to the defense,” he said.

Jacob Jesin, a lawyer for one of the complainants, read a statement from his client after the ruling. “I always understood a conviction would be difficult,” he read. “While my story may not have passed the high legal test for proof, it remains my position that the evidence on the substantive issues was truthful. ... I hope my coming forward and sharing what happened to me gives strength to other victims of sexual assault.”

Throughout the trial, Ghomeshi's well-known defense attorney, Marie Henein, pointed out inconsistencies in the women's testimony. One woman gave a vivid recollection of Ghomeshi's car the night he allegedly assaulted her, but Henein revealed he did not purchase that car until months later.

One of the women who testified, actress and Royal Canadian Air Force Capt. Lucy Decoutere, allowed her name to be made public. She said she never spoke to Ghomeshi again after the alleged incident between them. His attorney, however, produced emails sent just hours afterward in which she made sexual overtures to the radio host.