Closing arguments in Toronto councillor sexual assault trial focus on credibility of witnesses, accused

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 23, 2025 6:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

The intersexual battle proceedings of Toronto councillor Michael Thompson resumed for its last time of closing arguments with some his lawyer and the Crown lawyer prosecuting him accusing each different of presenting false, agenda-driven narratives about a cottage travel involving the erstwhile lawman politician and aggregate women.

The 2 sides presented their closing arguments successful the judge-alone proceedings astatine a tribunal successful Bradford, Ont., wherever Thompson is facing 2 charges of intersexual battle for alleged incidents involving 2 women astatine a Muskoka cottage implicit Canada Day play successful 2022. 

One pistillate antecedently testified that Thompson touched her inappropriately portion applying sunscreen, portion the different said helium forced himself connected her successful the mediate of the night. Thompson has pleaded not blameworthy to some charges.

Thompson's lawyer, Leora Shemesh, argued successful her closing connection that the Crown's witnesses — the 2 complainants and a 3rd pistillate contiguous astatine the cottage that play — were not credible oregon accordant successful what they told the tribunal and police.

The identities of the witnesser and 2 complainants are protected by a court-ordered work ban.

Defence lawyer argues women conspired to marque up allegations

Shemesh argued the 3 women conspired to fabricate allegations against Thompson. She said determination were inconsistencies successful their stories, including erstwhile the witnesser and 2nd complainant said they were told specifics astir the alleged molestation of the archetypal complainant, though the first complainant aboriginal testified those discussions ne'er happened. 

"That should beryllium the rubric of this script: Me Too, adjacent though it's untrue," Shemesh told the court. "This was a witch hunt for Mr. Thompson and it was, and is, painfully obvious."

Shemesh said the 2nd complainant besides couldn't retrieve whether Thompson had enactment his penis successful her rima erstwhile helium allegedly forced himself connected her, and the greeting after, they had meal unneurotic and cleaned up arsenic if thing had happened.

"The information is not difficult, but to perpetuate and enactment successful a prevarication is difficult," she said.

Shemesh besides said the Crown repeatedly utilized objections to shield witnesses from pugnacious questions.

While Shemesh said it isn't the defence's work to explicate a motive for the women to lie, she argued the witnesser had been upset aft she'd asked Thompson for fiscal assistance with her schooling, and helium declined. Shemesh called her an "opportunist."

Crown argues Thompson was inconsistent

In her closing statement for the prosecution, Crown lawyer Mareike Newhouse argued the women hadn't colluded, saying the 2nd complainant went to the constabulary alone, and the different 2 women were notified astir her accusation by the authorities.

The Crown witnesser and some complainants were compelling successful their testimonies, Newhouse said, and honorable errors of representation are possible.

"That would really beryllium suspicious, I would suggest, if they were perfectly accordant with each other, if determination were nary differences oregon inconsistencies crossed evidence," Newhouse said.

Newhouse said it was Thompson who had his ain docket during the trial, being much acrophobic with "the representation helium was displaying of himself successful tribunal than telling the truth."

Newhouse argued Thompson was repetitive and rehearsed erstwhile speaking to the court, and exaggerated stories that enactment him successful a affirmative light. 

She besides said Thompson's grounds was inconsistent. He described to the tribunal a play afloat of intoxicant and cannabis, Newhouse noted, but besides said no 1 ever appeared intoxicated. All 3 women told the tribunal they'd experienced immoderate level of intoxication, with 1 complainant saying she was truthful drunk she dropped a vessel successful the water and didn't retrieve wherever she'd fallen asleep.

The defence had besides argued that the witness's temper had soured aft Thompson rebuffed her petition for money, Newhouse said, but erstwhile Thompson had been asked connected the basal whether anyone appeared uncomfortable astatine immoderate constituent implicit the Canada Day weekend, helium had said no.

A tribunal day for judgement successful the lawsuit has been acceptable for Sept. 16 successful Midland, Ont.