Canadian auto parts magnate Frank Stronach, aged 94, will face a sentencing hearing today for the serious offence of indecent assault. The hearing comes amidst legal complexities, with prosecutors contesting a judge’s decision to declare a rare post-verdict mistrial in Stronach’s sexual assault conviction.
In June, Stronach was found guilty of both charges stemming from allegations made by two women during his Toronto trial. However, Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy later granted a mistrial on the sexual assault conviction after revealing contradictory emails from the complainant’s lawyer in a civil case.
Stronach’s defense asserted that these emails contradicted the woman’s testimony during the criminal trial. However, the complainant had not been heard before the mistrial declaration, as noted by lawyer Leora Shemesh.
The Crown is now appealing to reinstate the guilty verdict on the sexual assault charge and return the case to Superior Court for sentencing. Initially facing 12 charges from seven complainants, Stronach saw some charges withdrawn or deemed not guilty by the Crown and the judge.
The remaining charges related to three complainants resulted in Stronach being found guilty of two before the mistrial was granted. His next legal battle involves a sexual assault trial with six complainants in Newmarket, Ont., scheduled for the following year.
