A mistrial has been declared on one of the charges Canadian businessman Frank Stronach was convicted on last month in a high-profile historic assault case, a defence lawyer says.
The ruling comes ahead of Stronach’s sentencing in September and came after a civil complaint by one of the women who accused the billionaire of sexual assault.
The details of that civil claim, according to court documents, were “at odds” with the evidence given in court when Stronach was found guilty of sexual assault and indecent assault.
Stronach is the founder and former head of Magna International, a major Canadian auto parts maker.
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He was charged with 18 offences involving 12 complainants by Peel Regional Police in 2024. Those charges were split into two trials and related to alleged incidents of sexual assault spanning the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.
After a complicated trial where some charges were withdrawn, Stronach was found guilty of one count of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. He was found not guilty of the rest.
The mistrial relates to the sexual assault charge from someone who had worked at a business Stronach owned.
Lawyer Leora Shemesh said the mistrial on the sexual assault conviction was granted after she presented emails in court from the woman’s lawyer in a separate civil complaint that she alleged were inconsistent with testimony in the criminal trial.
In an interview, Shemesh called the decision to declare a mistrial after a conviction “incredibly rare.”
Stronach will also face trial on other charges in Newmarket, Ont., next year.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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