Jian Ghomeshi Found Not Guilty in Sexual Assault Case

Published Mar 24, 2016

Former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi has faced a serious batch of accusations following numerous allegations that he has sexually assaulted a large number of women over the years. Last month, three of his accusers faced off with him in court, and today (March 24) a judge has ruled that Ghomeshi is not guilty on all charges.Ghomeshi faced five charges in court — four of sexual assault and one of overcoming resistance by choking. He was found not guilty on all fronts.Two women in the courtroom were protected by a press ban, though one of them opted to reveal her full name — Canadian actress Lucy DeCoutere. Over a painstaking eight-day trial, DeCoutere and the other two women were forced to go into great detail over their time spent with Ghomeshi.Throughout the trial, Justice William B. Horkins of the Ontario Court of Justice questioned the reliability and credibility of all three accusers due to misremembered accounts, holes in their stories and the fact that they stayed in touch with Ghomeshi after the alleged assaults.A large group of protestors awaited the verdict this morning, and many see this as a loss for sexual assault survivors the world over.Jian Ghomeshi will face another trial on June 6 for a separate sexual assault.