The courtroom drama surrounding billionaire Frank Stronach has narrowed to a critical point. Once a case built on the accusations of seven women, the prosecution now rests on the testimony of just three, alleging incidents of groping and sexual assault dating back four decades.
A significant setback for the Crown occurred when Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy dismissed the accusations of a fourth complainant. The judge deemed her evidence “fatally flawed,” stating it didn’t even reach the threshold for consideration, let alone a conviction, due to inconsistencies and unreliability.
Who remains to testify? A former cocktail waitress recounts being groped while attempting to leave Stronach’s condo after a date. A legal secretary alleges a disturbing encounter in an apartment, describing an unwanted and aggressive advance. Finally, a businesswoman claims she was subjected to a vaginal rape following a dinner engagement.
The Crown attorney, Jelena Vlacic, attempted to establish a pattern, arguing a striking similarity exists between the three remaining cases. She highlighted a consistent dynamic: all complainants were of similar age, shared a significant age gap with Stronach, and had a pre-existing familiarity with him – none were strangers.
Vlacic described a recurring sequence of events: an initial professional interaction, often beginning with dinner and drinks, a shift to a private residence, and then a sudden, unwelcome change in Stronach’s behaviour from cordial to overtly amorous. The prosecution maintains the women’s accounts haven’t been compromised by media exposure.
The dismissal of the fourth complainant’s testimony stemmed from a multitude of inconsistencies. She initially claimed the alleged assault occurred following a 21st birthday dinner in 1980, but later insisted it was 1981, a detail contradicted by evidence of Stronach’s travel schedule.
This ruling represents another substantial blow to a case that has steadily weakened since its inception. When the judge-alone trial began in February, Stronach, the 93-year-old founder of Magna International, entered a not-guilty plea to all twelve charges.
The prosecution has already conceded insufficient evidence to support charges related to three other original complainants. A former nurse suffered a breakdown on the stand, a co-op student admitted to fabricating testimony, and an esthetician’s credibility was severely questioned due to a history of civil judgments against her.
The trial continues, with the fate of the remaining accusations hanging in the balance. The courtroom now holds the weight of these three testimonies, the last pillars supporting a case that has faced relentless challenges and diminishing evidence.
