By Canadian Press

Judge to rule Dec. 15 in rape case of former entertainment mogul Gilbert Rozon

Nov 19, 2020 | 3:05 PM

MONTREAL — A judge will render her verdict in the rape trial of former entertainment mogul Gilbert Rozon on Dec. 15.

Prosecutor Bruno Menard made his final arguments today in the trial of the founder of the Just for Laughs festival, arguing that Rozon’s version of events defies logic.

He said the complainant came forward on behalf of her daughter and not only because of the #MeToo movement, as the defence contended.

The 65-year-old Rozon is charged with rape and indecent assault for acts allegedly committed in 1980 in St-Sauveur, Que., when he was 25 years old. The wording of the charges is based on what was in the Criminal Code at the time.

The complainant, who was 20 at the time and whose identity is protected by a court order, testified that Rozon aggressively tried to have sex with her after a night out and only relented after she fought him off. 

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She remained the night, and the next morning she woke to find him on top of her and he raped her, she testified, but Rozon denied any assault took place and testified that it was the woman who got into bed with him.

Menard told Quebec court Judge Melanie Hebert court today that at the time of filing the police report, the complainant had a daughter who was the same age she was when the assault is alleged to have occurred.

For its part, the defence argued the testimony of the complainant was unreliable and inconsistent.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2020.

The Canadian Press