Crown grills Toronto councillor over alleged sexual assault at Muskoka cottage

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: May 29, 2025 5:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

WARNING: This nonfiction contains graphic descriptions of an alleged intersexual assault. 

During cross-examination successful his intersexual battle proceedings Thursday, Toronto councillor Michael Thompson was grilled by a Crown lawyer who suggested he'd forced himself connected a pistillate successful 2022, contempt his erstwhile grounds the brushwood was consensual.

The erstwhile lawman politician is facing 2 charges of intersexual battle for alleged incidents involving 2 women astatine a Muskoka cottage implicit the Canada Day play successful 2022. Their identities are protected by a court-ordered work ban.

One pistillate has alleged Thompson touched her inappropriately portion applying sunscreen, which Thompson denied successful tribunal earlier this month, portion the 2nd pistillate has alleged helium forced himself connected her successful the mediate of the night. 

Thompson has pleaded not blameworthy to some charges successful the judge-alone trial, which continued successful Barrie Thursday.

Thompson first took to the witnesser container earlier this month, wherever helium testified that a intersexual brushwood had happened with the 2nd woman, but she had initiated it and it was consensual, a assertion helium maintained Thursday.

WATCH | Coun. Thompson takes basal for archetypal clip to attest successful trial: 

He said the complainant had spent overmuch of that time touching him and flirting with him, and astatine 1 constituent suggested they get unneurotic erstwhile the different 2 women astatine the cottage that play — the different complainant and a witnesser successful the proceedings — went to bed.

Thompson said Thursday helium went to furniture early, but was woken by the 2nd complainant astir 3 a.m. He alleged she was afloat bare and asked him to person a portion successful the kitchen.

He said helium followed her retired and sipped tequila with her earlier pursuing her down to a basement country wherever she performed oral enactment connected him.

Crown suggests things went differently

On Thursday Crown lawyer Mareike Newhouse pushed backmost against Thompson's testimony, putting the prosecution's mentation of events to him directly.

"I'm going to suggest to you that what really happened successful the aboriginal hours of the greeting is wholly antithetic than what you've described," Newhouse said, suggesting helium was already awake, not awoken by the complainant.

"I'm going to suggest that you really went looking for the women successful the mediate of the night," Newhouse said.

"No," Thompson replied.

"I'm going to suggest that the pistillate you recovered was [the 2nd complainant]," she said.

"No," helium responded.

"I'm going to suggest you took her to the basement."

"No."

"By the clip you got to her country you were each implicit her physically and she told you no."

"No, that was ne'er said."

"I'm going to suggest it was said aggregate times by her to you."

"Absolutely not, that was ne'er done."

Newhouse completed the Crown's cross-examination of Thompson Thursday. The proceedings is acceptable to resume with Thompson's re-examination by his lawyer connected June 23.

Woman's erstwhile grounds contradicts Thompson

Newhouse's suggestions aligned with what the tribunal had antecedently heard from the complainant.

Earlier this year, the pistillate testified that Thompson allegedly forced himself connected her aft a time of dense drinking.

The complainant said that Thompson woke her up successful the mediate of the nighttime and took her to a downstairs bedroom. Once there, she said, helium was "definitely trying to prosecute successful thing sexual," portion lasting adjacent to her and touching her.

The complainant said she told Thompson, "I don't privation this." She said she laid down connected a bed, inactive feeling the effects of intoxicant from earlier successful the day, astatine which constituent Thompson enactment his penis astir her look and rima and aboriginal ejaculated connected her look and chest.

She told the courtroom repeatedly she had not wanted intersexual interaction with Thompson, but felt she couldn't bash anything. "I felt trapped," she said astatine the time.

Thompson said Thursday that the pistillate enactment his penis successful her rima herself, and she appeared sober.

Both complainants, and a 3rd pistillate who was astatine the cottage that play and is simply a witnesser successful the trial, person antecedently testified Thompson plied them with intoxicant implicit the weekend, and the 2nd complainant was precise drunk erstwhile Thompson allegedly forced himself connected her.

The witness's individuality is besides protected by a work ban.

Thompson repeated Thursday that helium lone poured 1 portion for different idiosyncratic that weekend.