Jian Ghomeshi’s life will never be the same. The countless legal bills incurred, the damage to his reputation, and at the end of the line the loss of quality of life and earnings can never be repaired.
Chiefly because there is no real accountability of Crown Attorney’s in Ontario. Cases have two factors, the police delivering the charges and the Crown prosecuting them.
In spirit a Crown should only be prosecuting a case that has clear merits and evidence. Clearly in the Ghomeshi case the evidence was weak and the witnesses weaker.
That’s not a free pass or judgement of what occurred between consenting adults. It doesn’t condone anything that happened between Mr. Ghomeshi and those that made allegations against him, but clearly this trial showed that abuse by crowns, maybe to gain headlines, or count coup against a celebrity, should not be taken for granted.
Locally I have endured the arrows of Crowns. I was charged with making threatening phone calls and after Bell provided a production order showing that I made no calls, threatening or otherwise, not one, but two crowns kept me under conditions for nearly a year after including my run for mayor here in Cornwall.
I have tried for over a year to retain a lawyer to go after the local police and crown only to be rebuffed time and again. (if any lawyers in Ontario are reading this jamie@cornwallfreenews.com if you wish to take this case) Again and again I’ve been explained to about the protection of crowns.
There is almost zero accountability in our system.
There is no push back for those that make false claims. In my case the person that made the clearly false claim has not been prosecuted by police.
Mr. Ghomeshi was fortunate to have the resources to ably defend himself. His own dismissal from the CBC may even have been politically motivated, but what about the thousands of people in Ontario who could not afford the stalwart defense handled by his high priced and powered attorney Marie Henein ?
Can those without resources get a remotely fair shake in a justice system here in Ontario that rarely relies on Justice for results?
The Sunshine list just came out in Ontario. The Attorney General’s office in Toronto has nearly 1,800 names on it. That means there are nearly 1,800 people working at the AG who earn at least $100,000 per year. That doesn’t count those that may earn less.
Clearly we need justice reform in Ontario. We need to try and depoliticize the process, but mostly we need a justice system that treats all of those that seek justice be treated fairly.
Mostly we need to hold Crowns, and Justices just as accountable as we would those that they deliver justice to.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can post your comments below.
If you can’t get a lawyer to take your case it shows what the problem is.
In regard to Ghomeshi I fully expect him to sue the CBC and/or the complainants in his case.
As for the “Sunshine List” it’s misleading. When the list was created in 1996 $100k was $100k. Now it’s worth $70k. Time to up the amount to perhaps $150k. And don’t forget Hydro One execs not on the list due to the sell-off.
Jamie you have been through hell and back with the bunch in Cornwall and I can assure you 100% and well beyond that that I would never ever live in Cornwall ever again and there are plenty like me who feel the very same way. Cornwall is finished a long time ago and run by thugs. That is evil as can be for me and “no tanks” I would rather live elsewhere but not Cornwall. Home of the “evil archy”
CBC fired Ghomeshi after an internal investigation into the complaints of some employees. He’s in no position to sue the CBC or anybody else. He also has another sexual assault trial coming up shortly and it might not work out so well for him.
Reform is necessary just not likely. The potential for corruption within any crown attorney’s office is extremely high. The reason is the power which the office welds. The crown attorney’s office determines who stands before a judge. Nightmare or saviour. Ask yourself who revises, updates or create code or civil law.
In law a person cannot consent to an assault that causes bodily harm. Yet people still consent (implied and otherwise) to what amounts to assault when they play rough at sex or play rough in hockey… So what to do with these morons?
Same as we’d treat a pair of jokers getting their rocks off with each other in a street fight. Bust them! …And Ghomeshi and partners may have deserved just that.
Don’t expect justice in Cornwall because it doesn’t exist. Justice in Cornwall is for certain people only as well as opportunity and jobs. I turned my back on Cornwall for mighty good reasons and I come here for some very good laughter. I know what goes on and so have people of my generation who would not return to such a place at all. Cornwall is a loser town and never will be any different.
Even after the “internal investigation” I fully expect Jain Ghomeshi to sue the CBC, probably for wrongful dismissal.
Hugger1 I hope that Jian takes the CBC to court. I hope he wins and wins big. He was not found innocent he was found not guilty (there is a vast difference). The women only proved in court that they had difficulty with the truth. They interfered with due process and should be held accountable. They are lucky that they likely won’t be.
Ghomeshi sued the CBC for $55 million in 2014 for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract. It got tossed, and he ended up having to pay $18 thousand to the CBC for their legal costs. I doubt that he’ll try that stunt again.
This case was I’ll prepared by the prosecutor. With witnesses as presented the case should not have proceeded.