On Monday, former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi will face the first trial for numerous sexual assault allegations made against him, The Guardian reports. In October 2014, three women came forward with stories of abuse from Ghomeshi, with one claiming he choked her almost to the point of unconsciousness.
A CBC employee claimed Ghomeshi had once grabbed her butt at the office and told her that he wanted to “hate-fuck” her. In the following weeks, more accusers, including one male, came forward saying Ghomeshi had groped, punched or choked them without warning. The number of alleged victims had reached more than twenty.
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Ghomeshi chalked up the claims made against him “as a result of a campaign of false allegations pursued by a jilted ex girlfriend and a freelance writer.”
Ghomeshi, who has maintained his innocence since the allegations first came to light, faces four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking. According to CP24, he will also face a separate trial for another sexual assault charge from a different complainant in June.
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