A trial that began last fall in Ontario鈥檚 cottage country is finally nearly at its end, with 海角社区官网Coun. Michael Thompson continuing to assert he did nothing inappropriate at a Muskoka cottage where two women allege he sexually assaulted them.
鈥淚 did not commit any sexual assault that weekend or any other time,鈥 the 65-year-old testified at the Barrie courthouse Thursday moments before prosecutor Mareike Newhouse finished her cross-examination.
The alleged assaults occurred on the Canada Day weekend in 2022 at an opulent lakeside cottage owned by Thompson鈥檚 lawyer friend.
On Thursday, Newhouse repeatedly suggested to Thompson that he didn鈥檛 behave, as he maintains, as a person with 鈥渟trong integrity鈥 when he applied sunscreen to one female guest. He instead 鈥渨ent under her bikini and massaged her buttocks and 鈥 her breasts,鈥 the prosecutor said.
鈥淣o, that did not happen,鈥 Thompson responded. The woman asked him to apply sunscreen, and he did it quickly on her back, he said.
The second complainant alleges that after a day of drinking heavily, Thompson woke her up, led her downstairs and forced himself on her.
鈥淒id you want any of this to be happening,鈥 the prosecutor asked the woman at Coun. Michael Thompson鈥檚 continuing sex assault trial. 鈥淣o,鈥 she said.
鈥淒id you want any of this to be happening,鈥 the prosecutor asked the woman at Coun. Michael Thompson鈥檚 continuing sex assault trial. 鈥淣o,鈥 she said.
Thompson reiterated what he said in his examination in chief. After they spent the day flirting together, he woke up in the middle of the night and saw her there naked; they fooled around and she performed oral sex on him, he said.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to suggest to you what actually happened in the early morning hours is entirely different from what you describe,鈥 Newhouse said. She suggested he went 鈥渓ooking for the women in the middle of the night,鈥 and woke up the second complainant. She was 鈥渄runk鈥 and had trouble walking on her own, and 鈥渂y the time you got to her room, you were all over her physically and she told you, 鈥榥o鈥 鈥 multiple times,鈥 the Crown stated.
鈥淎bsolutely not,鈥 Thompson replied.
The majority of Newhouse鈥檚 questions on Thursday related to Thompson鈥檚 conduct toward a university student who was also at the cottage that weekend. She does not allege Thompson sexually assaulted her, but testified last fall that he asked her to test the bounce in a bed, use a hand massager on her, encouraged her to imbibe and smoke weed and told her to feel free to get naked 鈥 all denied by Thompson.
A witness compared a friend of Thompson to Ghislaine Maxwell 鈥 the notorious enabler of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.
A witness compared a friend of Thompson to Ghislaine Maxwell 鈥 the notorious enabler of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.
He acknowledged, however, that while driving the young woman to the cottage, he called Premier Doug Ford to wish him a Happy Canada Day 鈥 but rejected the Crown鈥檚 suggestion it was to impress his passenger.
The prosecutor鈥檚 focus on Thompson鈥檚 interactions with the student brought Shemesh to her feet. It was the same reason Shemesh threatened to bring a mistrial application earlier this month.
鈥淲hy is it relevant?鈥 the defence lawyer asked Justice Phil Brissette.
Shemesh noted Thompson鈥檚 charges relate to alleged offences committed against two other women, not the student. And if the prosecutor wants to rely on 鈥渂ad character鈥 evidence, she needs to bring a special application.
Brissette said some of the evidence makes the questions allowable, 鈥渂ut I don鈥檛 know about the relevance of it 鈥 I think Mr. Thompson鈥檚 been pretty clear that wasn鈥檛 his intention.鈥 Newhouse explained she鈥檚 trying to explore an 鈥渁lternate theory.鈥
The case returns to court on June 23 when Shemesh will briefly re-examine her client before the two lawyers present their final arguments.
