Why the charges were whittled down
When the trial began in February, Stronach was facing 12 counts related to seven female complainants, whose allegations included sexual assault and the historical charges of rape and attempted rape.
But throughout the trial, following the testimony and cross-examination of some of the complainants, the Crown withdrew a number of charges, saying there wasn’t sufficient evidence to sustain findings of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt on those particular counts.
For example, the Crown withdrew the charges of one of the complainants who also had alleged Stronach had raped her in his Toronto condominium. Molloy and Shemesh had expressed repeated frustration over the complainant’s inability to focus on the questions and her interrupting and talking over Shemesh during cross-examination.
Meanwhile, Molloy herself told court near the end of the trial that she would be finding Stronach not guilty on two charges related to one of the complainants, whose testimony she characterized as “fatally flawed” and “not even remotely reliable.”