TORONTO – In a decisive ruling, Ghomeshi trial Judge William Horkins urged Canadians to remain vigilant against the baseless notion that women are ever truthful about sexual assault, victimization, or even anything in general.
“I think we all, as a society, can agree that women are believed far too often in matters of assault,” opined Horkins in regards to a legal area where 90% of sexual assaults are estimated to go unreported, and only 0.03% of crimes result in convictions. Horkins called the idea that women widely tell the truth about sexual assault “a pervasive stereotype, rampant in our culture, and often harmful to men with 20 female accusers or more.”
Horkins’ decision continued, “At the risk of being labelled an ‘activist judge’, I am willing to take a courageous and principled stand to suggest that perhaps it’s time to start unquestioningly believing men who are accused of sex crimes.”
Judge Horkins devoted much of his lengthy ruling to excoriating the trial’s three female witnesses, pausing only to offer repeated “solidarity fist bumps” to the defendant, Jian Ghomeshi. Pointing to inconsistencies in the witnesses statements, Horkins added that one time a woman lied to him about having to “wash her hair” in an attempt to avoid a date, thereby establishing a “fact pattern” that women seldom, if ever, tell the truth.
Horkins also cited the three witnesses omitting facts about having contact with Ghomeshi post-assault “for fear of not being believed” as a good reason not to believe them. “It’s important to remember that after-the-fact behaviour cannot be held against a witness in a sexual assault trial and that contacting one’s abuser can be explained by a pervasive culture that seeks to normalize sexual assault and protect men – both laughable notions which I have easily thrown out.”
Finally, Horkins also noted the importance of fighting against the stereotype that judges are a mostly homogenous group of older white men whose worldviews are dangerously limited.
With files from Ian Macintyre
