BRACEBRIDGE, Ont.鈥擜 witness at the sex assault trial of 海角社区官网Coun. Michael Thompson was questioned Thursday on why she would continue to exchange text messages with a woman she compared to Ghislaine Maxwell 鈥 the notorious enabler of U.S. sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein 鈥 after leaving the Muskoka cottage where the witness said she felt 鈥済roomed鈥 and where Thompson allegedly sexually assaulted two other women.
The witness, a 24-year-old university student, has testified about hanging out, drinking and smoking pot with Thompson and his friend 鈥 identified in court as Tracey 鈥 and how she came to believe the older woman was interested in grooming her for sex trafficking, not becoming a career mentor, as Thompson had suggested.
Thompson, 64, has pleaded not guilty to two sexual assaults alleged to have happened after Tracey left the cottage that weekend. Earlier this week, a Crown prosecutor told court Thompson massaged one woman in a sexual manner 鈥渢o which she did not consent鈥 and, hours later, 鈥渇orced himself鈥 on another woman who was 鈥渧ery, very drunk.鈥
Those two women have not yet testified at trial. Tracey declined an interview request from the Star.
In cross-examination Thursday, defence lawyer Leora Shemesh grilled the student that if it truly was her belief that she was being groomed, why did she continue to communicate with Tracey in the days and weeks after the cottage weekend?
Thompson has pleaded not guilty to allegations concerning what he did with two women at on
鈥淐ertainly, by the time you get home and have a chance to digest everything that happened on the weekend, you no longer care for (Tracey),鈥 Shemesh said, before showing her a piece of paper with text messages the women exchanged.
The student replied she was asking Tracey for advice as a way of testing if she was sincere about wanting to be a mentor.
鈥淭his is the woman you say was trying to groom you and lead you to a trafficking scene,鈥 Shemesh said.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying to see if she鈥檚 actually about what she says she鈥檚 about, testing to see how she鈥檒l support me or not,鈥 replied the student.
鈥淭his is the woman you have likened to Ms. Maxwell, in the Jeffrey Epstein saga,鈥 Shemesh stated.
鈥淩ight, manipulative,鈥 the student responded.
鈥淣ot just manipulative, someone who was grooming you for a sexual predator 鈥 that鈥檚 how you referred to her,鈥 Shemesh said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 how I felt upon reflection.鈥
The student acknowledged that one of the two complainants had suggested she was being groomed based on what the student told her after Tracey left.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e discussing grooming up in the cottage,鈥 Shemesh asked.
鈥淐辞谤谤别肠迟.鈥
Thursday was the second day of the trial in this small cottage country courthouse.
Thompson, the councillor for Scarborough Centre (Ward 21), appeared at this week鈥檚 city council meeting Wednesday via Zoom, but drove back up north Thursday morning to the Ontario Court of Justice 鈥 about a half-hour drive from the Port Carling cottage where the alleged assaults took place.
Coun. Michael Thompson is seen on screen attending a city council meeting remotely on Wednesday.
Michelle Mengsu Chang/海角社区官网StarOn Monday, on the first day of trial, Crown attorney Mareike Newhouse gave Justice Philop Brissette an overview of the case 鈥 a rare criminal prosecution of a sitting 海角社区官网councillor.
The identities of the two complainants and the student are covered by a publication ban.
On Monday, Newhouse told court the second complainant 鈥渃learly鈥 remembered telling Thompson 鈥渘o鈥 when she said he woke her up; despite this, she will testify Thompson put his penis on her and ejaculated on her.
The student testified Monday she was 22 when she first met Thompson at a Yorkville art gallery, and initially had no idea who he was. Later that night, he drove her home to the suburban area north of the city and mentioned a 鈥渇uture weekend of networking鈥 up at a cottage, where she would meet a mixed group of male and female professionals. As the holiday approached he told her the guest list was thinning due to cancellations.
After their arrival, the student was soon joined by Tracey, but as the weekend progressed she testified there were many 鈥渞ed flags,鈥 such as Thompson encouraging her to guzzle booze and telling her twice: 鈥淔eel free to get naked.鈥 She declined.
The next day, the witness said she expected more people 鈥渢o be flowing in.鈥 Instead, two women 鈥 the complainants 鈥 arrived with a dog.聽
On Thursday, Shemesh asked the student to confirm that she was hurt when Thompson 鈥済hosted鈥 her after the weekend, ignoring a text message she had sent him.
鈥淵ou felt you were discarded that he didn鈥檛 feel the need to follow up on any of the opportunities he had presented,鈥 Shemesh said.
The student agreed she felt discarded, but clarified it wasn鈥檛 just about missed 鈥渙pportunities,鈥 it was the fact he cut off all communication, which left her with the feeling of 鈥渂eing discarded in general.鈥
Shemesh then came to the end of her cross-examination, asking the witness if it was her position Thompson was 鈥渁ttempting to have sex with you?鈥
鈥淚 would say he was trying to coerce me,鈥 the young woman responded.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure that鈥檚 responsive,鈥 Shemesh said, before trying again.
鈥淒id he ask to have sex with you?鈥
鈥淭he whole situation was set up in a coercive manner (to) get me in a vulnerable position.鈥
After another attempt, the witness agreed with Shemesh that he never asked to have sex with her, although she recalled 鈥 in court Thursday 鈥 that she was 鈥渂rought into his bedroom鈥 and that he used a massaging device 鈥渙n my upper back,鈥 and that she 鈥渄idn鈥檛 let things go further.鈥
The trial continues Friday.
