The sexual assault trial of Toronto City Councillor Michael Thompson will proceed after the defence raised the possibility of a mistrial.
Thompson is facing two counts of sexual assault for allegedly inappropriately touching two women during a Canada Day weekend gathering at a Muskoka cottage in 2022.
During cross-examination on Thursday, defence lawyer Leora Shemesh objected to the line of questioning from prosecutors in the judge-only trial, claiming a witness who testified in the case was now being portrayed as a complainant.
Shemesh maintained that there had been no prior indication the Crown would suggest Thompson was sexually attracted to the witness, nor had she been questioned in that context during her testimony. They argued that the Crown’s new direction caught them off guard and fell outside the scope of what they had prepared to address.
Shemesh tells CityNews that the judge ruled Friday that the Crown could continue its cross-examination but limited its scope to establishing the credibility of the accused.
The trial is scheduled to resume on May 29 in Barrie.
