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WARNING: This story references sexual assault allegations and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
The defence lawyer for Frank Stronach is continuing her cross-examination of the fifth complainant in the Canadian businessman’s sexual assault trial at a Toronto courthouse.
Stronach, 93, faces a total of 12 charges, including sexual assault and forcible confinement. Two of the counts, rape and attempted rape, are considered historical charges as they were abolished when the Criminal Code was amended in 1983 to create the offence of sexual assault.
Stronach, founder of auto-parts giant Magna International, has denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The woman is the fifth of seven female complainants to testify. Their allegations span the period between 1977 and 1990.
On Monday, the complainant told court she got to know Stronach through a mutual friend in the early 1980s. In 1990, sometime in early November, she said she saw him at a hotel restaurant located in Markham or Scarborough as she was waiting for a client.
The woman said Stronach sat down with her, that they chatted for a bit, and he asked for her number. They arranged to meet the following day, she said.
During that meeting, the woman, who had just months earlier given birth, told court that she became very emotional as she discussed with Stronach her breakup with her boyfriend.
The woman said Stronach was very understanding, tried to console her and suggested they continue their conversation in his hotel suite. Once in the hotel suite, she said, Stronach raped her.
Defence lawyer challenges woman’s credibility
Leora Shemesh, Stonach’s lawyer, began her cross-examination of the woman on Monday afternoon. Shemesh challenged the woman on her testimony — compared to previous statements to police — as well as her overall credibility.
Shemesh zeroed in on the differing accounts she gave to police and in her testimony, regarding when she said she had met Stronach.
Shemesh also challenged the woman’s testimony in which she denied seeing media coverage related to Stronach. Shemesh said that’s not what she had previously told police.
As well, Shemesh focused on the woman’s personal business dealings, raising the issue that she has been sued 25 times. These lawsuits included accusations of fraud and falsifying a contract, Shemesh noted.
The woman denied she falsified a contract and blamed some of those lawsuits on not keeping very good records or being “legally savvy.”
Shemesh also raised an ongoing lawsuit by a man who claims he was falsely arrested and placed into a holding cell based on false claims made by the woman.
The woman denied that the man had been falsely arrested and insisted that he had threatened her life.
