TORONTO - As the number of women alleging abuse at the hands of ex-CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi grew Thursday and his associates slowly backed away, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair took the chance to remind women who have been victims of sexual assault to report that crime to police.
The dam has seemingly broken on former CBC star Jian Ghomeshi. Earlier in the week, I withheld judgment based, in part, on the limitations of the available information.I can't do that anymore. By Wednesday, a total of eight women had come forward to claim that Ghomeshi had abused them in some way - by choking them, punching them or else laying a hand on them in any other number of unwelcome ways. One of these women - actress Lucy DeCoutere of Trailer Park Boys bravely put her name to the allegations, telling the Toronto Star that Ghomeshi choked her to the point that she couldn't breathe and slapped her three times on the side of the head. Another woman, in a radio interview with CBC's Carol Off, told a similar story: '[He] threw me on the ground and started closed-fist pounding me in the head, repeatedly, until my ears were ringing. And I started to cry.'
It is this consistent pattern that, for me, gives credence to the accusers' stories. Eight women, ostensibly strangers, echo the same chilling pattern. Continue reading...
There is no open investigation because the force has yet to hear from any of the women who have spoken in the media, the outgoing police chief told reporters as he exited an unrelated news conference at police headquarters.
'People may be reluctant to report their victimization and to participate in a criminal investigation or the criminal justice system,' he said. 'Our first priority is their safety and their recovery and the protection of others. In addition to that, we are quite prepared to conduct a criminal investigation should they come forward with their complaint.'
But that is the key, he said.
'When these crimes are committed, we need a complainant, we need someone to come forward and say 'this is what's happened to me,' and we will investigate that.'
Meanwhile, the high-profile public relations firm Navigator, which reports say Mr. Ghomeshi hired to manage his image once the CBC fired him Sunday, announced Thursday it was no longer representing him. Mr. Ghomeshi's pubic relations company Rock-It Promotions also severed ties.
Also on Thursday, the CBC announced it would open its own internal independent investigation into allegations against the former host of 'Q,' an internationally syndicated arts and culture show, saying 'these reports are extremely disturbing.'
Support for Trailer Park Boys actress Lucy DeCoutere, the first to put her name and face to allegations late Wednesday, surged online with the Twitter hashtag meme #ibelievelucy - its goal to encourage speaking out about an experience rife with shame, confusion and fear.
The question repeatedly asked this week is 'Why wouldn't these women go to the police?' The answer is both uncomfortable and complex and one law enforcement and activists have been trying to address in recent years.
In her account 'Why I Can't Remain Silent About What Jian Did To Me,' published around 5 p.m. Thursday on the Huffington Post Canada site (making her the second to attach her name to her story), Toronto author and lawyer Reva Seth explained why she didn't want to go to police.
'I hadn't been raped. I had no interest in seeing him again or engaging the police in my life. I just wanted to continue on with my life as it was. And even if I had wanted to do something, as a lawyer, I well aware that the scenario was just a 'he said/she said' situation,' she wrote.
'I was aware that I, as a woman who had had a drink or two, shared a joint, had gone to his house willingly and had a sexual past, would be eviscerated. Cultural frameworks on this are powerful. Equally important, however, was that it also didn't feel like it was worth my effort.'
It often is a he-said-she-said scenario in cases of sexual assault because - especially in cases of date rape - the alleged attacker will be careful to ensure they are alone, said Sgt. Trish Ferguson of the Ottawa Police sexual assault unit. The officers do need to investigate both sides, and a statement is the best evidence they have, as Toronto Chief Blair also said Thursday. They will ask what led up to the incident, if there are any text messages, emails, did anyone hear or see anything from nearby.
She said her police force has taken a 'progressive' approach to helping victims of sexual assault, making sure they are supported and that they know they have options.
'If you are a victim of a sexual assault it doesn't mean you have to go to court,' she said. 'There are four levels of response.'
The first is not doing anything at all. The second is to report the crime, but not pursue charges - just make sure police are aware of it so they can watch for patterns or put out warnings in certain areas. The third option is to report the assault but have police pay the alleged attacker a visit, and put a warning in their system. In this case, police will also get the other party's side of the story, she said. The fourth approach is to report the attack and pursue charges.
If I were smart, I'd just shut up and stand by as the mob carries off Jian Ghomeshi to what increasingly appears may be his right and proper fate.
I don't even know the guy. I only occasionally heard the radio show that seems to have inspired such worshipful regard among his fans. We don't move in the same circles (my idea of going out is going outside, with the dog) or have any of the same friends.
Indeed, it now appears that I am the only woman in Canadian media who didn't know there was something hinky about him all along. Continue reading...
'Our job is to present all of the evidence and if the evidence points us in the direction that the offence was committed, [we'll pursue charges].' But the co-operation of the victim is critical and they need to be prepared for what is reliably an uncomfortable experience in court.
Activists have criticized cross-examinations in sexual assault cases for employing 'victim-blaming, slut-shaming' that deters women from reporting the crime in the first place.
In an article also on the Huffington Post Canada site Thursday, Vancouver businesswoman and former British Columbia crown prosecutor Sandy Garossino said it's not unusual for defence lawyers to ask questions such as: 'How much did you drink on the evening in question? Let's talk about your drug use. Did you take cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy? How much?' or 'You sent quite a collection of nude photos to my client, didn't you? Here they all are, every one,' or 'You didn't report this to the police immediately, did you? Nor do you have any photos of bruises or marks.'
'The cross-examination questions have this impact for women because they touch the deep ingrained chords of shame that are part of every girl's upbringing,' she wrote in an email to the National Post.
She supports the Ottawa Police approach (now widely used in Canada) of giving victims the option not to pursue charges.
'A lot of women would do this simply to flag someone as a means of protecting other women,' she wrote. 'It can also introduce them gently to the concept of pursuing charges, and if an offender is on the police radar, complainants can be encouraged by knowing they are not alone.'
Chief Blair also pointed out Thursday that there is no statutory time limit on reporting crimes in Canada, meaning that all of these women who allege they were attacked by Mr. Ghomeshi may still file a report with police.
'We will investigate any such crime reported to us regardless of passage of time,' he said.
National Post * Email: sboesveld@nationalpost.com | Twitter: sarahboesveld
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