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Former Canadian radio host faces more charges of sexual violence

Xinhua, January 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

With three additional charges of sexual assault, former Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) host Jian Ghomeshi has been charged as of Thursday with eight counts of violent acts against women, and may face more charges with further investigations.

Ghomeshi, employed as a host of a radio show "Q" or "Canadian Celebrity" before, was in court to set a preliminary hearing date in the case when the new accusations were revealed.

Ghomeshi, 47, was charged originally in November with four counts of sexual assault. However, he denied the charges, arguing that they were consensual "rough sex."

The CBC fired him in October 2014 after media reports of alleged sexual assault against the star first emerged. He sued the CBC for 55 million Canadian dollars (46.35 U.S. dollars) for wrongful dismissal but later withdrew the lawsuit.

The initial accusations were made anonymously but since then, at least 12 women have come forward with stories of being strangled, punched or slammed against walls by Ghomeshi.

Only six of them are plaintiffs in the criminal case, including "Trailer Park Boys" actress Lucy DeCoutere. The identities of the others are protected under a publication ban.

Ghomeshi's top-rated arts magazine program was a popular radio show on culture that was heard across Canada and in more than 180 cities in the United States. Endi