WARNING: This story contains accounts of alleged sexual assaults.
Taking the stand for a second day in a Barrie, Ont., sitting Toronto councillor Michael Thompson accused one witness of lying and said several accounts were untrue surrounding a cottage weekend in 2022 that led to him being charged with sexual assault.
Thompson, 65, was charged with two counts of sexual assault in 2022 after two guests of his over Canada Day weekend said he touched them inappropriately. One of the women previously testified that the councillor massaged her under her bathing suit while applying sunscreen. Another woman alleges Thompson forced himself on her in the middle of the night while she was severely intoxicated.
Several times during his testimony, the Scarborough Centre councillor broke into tears while describing how he learned he was being charged after being contacted by an OPP detective during a city council meeting.
Thompson, who has maintained his innocence, told the court Wednesday that he had not observed any signs of intoxication among his cottage guests. Three women who were present at the cottage have been called as witnesses by the Crown and all described a weekend where Thompson was pushing them to drink alcohol.
Those witnesses, whose identities are protected by a publication ban, said they got progressively more intoxicated as they continued to drink and smoke marijuana.
While testifying, the councillor said at no point were any of his guests showing signs of slurring or impairment and claimed he would have noticed due to his former experience as a bouncer. Thompson also said he was not a heavy drinker and only had a couple drinks and ingested some marijuana.
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The first woman who testified, who was 22 at the time, told the court in the fall that Thompson had told her “feel free to get naked” after they smoke marijuana together. She also testified that Thompson had invited her into his bedroom to feel how firm his bed was. The councillor denied either of those events and said the witness “has been very untruthful to this court.”
On Tuesday, Thompson told the court that he had given the 22-year-old two $50 bills just hours after meeting her because she said she was at risk of having her cellphone service cut. On Wednesday, he said the woman had asked for financial support with her education at the cottage.
“I told her I couldn’t assist her. She wasn’t happy about it,” said Thompson, adding that their friendship appeared to sour soon after.
Thompson also refuted testimony surrounding the alleged incident on the dock, saying he only applied sunscreen to the woman’s back at her request. Asked by his lawyer Leora Shemesh if he touched her breasts, buttocks, or legs during the sunscreen application, Thompson said, “no.”
A third witness has testified that Thompson woke her in the middle of the night and led her into the basement, where he forced oral sex upon her. That witness said she was extremely intoxicated at the time and told the councillor “no” repeatedly.
Thompson offered a different narrative under oath, saying he had fallen asleep after supper and was woken around 3 a.m. by the woman who was naked in his room. Thompson, who has been separated from his wife since early 2021, said the woman who had arrived that afternoon had kissed him and the pair had grown more flirtatious as the afternoon wore on. In the kitchen that afternoon, Thompson said the woman had put her hand down his shorts.
After being awoken by the woman, Thompson said the pair shared a drink in the kitchen and then toured the basement of the cottage. Shemesh asked if he thought it was odd that the woman was naked while they went from room to room, observing the furnace and gym equipment. Thompson said “she seemed really comfortable being in that state of undress.”
In her bedroom, Thompson said the woman pushed him onto the bed and performed oral sex on him, before abruptly getting up to use the bathroom where she also took a shower. Exiting in a towel, he said she laid next to him on the bed and asked if he had a condom and then began to search for one. Thompson said she became agitated there wasn’t one and instead began to pleasure herself, telling him, “her pussy is not for free, but I could watch.”
Again asked by his lawyer if she showed any signs of intoxication, Thompson said no. Asked repeatedly if the woman was consenting in the act or if she ever asked him to stop, Thompson said, “At no point was ‘no’ initiated.”
In the morning, Thompson said everyone seemed in good spirits and although they slept in separate beds, the woman he had engaged with kissed him on the cheek while asking about coffee.
The trial continues Thursday.
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