The former popular radio host of Canada, Jian Ghomeshi, has gone on trial for charges of sexual assault and choking. The first accuser has taken the stand and talked about her encounter with the former host.
In a report by BBC, the charges against Ghomeshi were filed back in 2014 after nine women complained to Toronto police that the host was physically violent towards them. He has denied the charges and said that they were all consensual as they were having "rough sex." Police launched an investigation which resulted to the former radio host being fired from his job.
He is facing four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to. A number of women accused that he punched, strangled, and battered them during their encounter with him.
In a report by ABC News, the first witness at the sexual assault trial of Ghomeshi took the stand on Monday and said that at first, the former host was "charming" but suddenly went into a rage as he pulled her hair and punched her. The incident reportedly took place 13 years ago.
She pointed out that she met Ghomeshi back in 2002 when she was a server at a CBC party. She also attended a taping of his former television show entitled "Play" and they went out for a drink. The Guardian reported they got into Ghomeshi's yellow volkswagen where they kissed when he suddenly yanked her hair. According to her, it was "painful" and out of the blue,
Despite the incident, she went to two more tapings of Ghomeshi and accepted an invitation to his home. She said that they kissed when he pulled her hair again, yanked her to her knees and punched her on the side of the head. The woman said, "He didn't apologize, he didn't ask if I was OK. He threw me out like trash." She said that she did not go to the police at that time because she was not sure if they would believe her. She then never saw Ghomeshi after the second incident.
One of the other plaintiffs was identified as actress Lucy DeCoutere. She was the first woman to speak on the record about her encounter with Ghomeshi but he said that the accusations against him are false and that it is all being brought up due to an angry ex-girlfriend.
Ghomeshi's trial will resume this Tuesday.
