TORONTO - Former radio host Jian Ghomeshi was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault on Wednesday, exactly one month after he was fired from the CBC over allegations of physical abuse.
Ghomeshi - who sparked a national conversation on sexual assault and hasn't been seen or heard from in weeks - surrendered to authorities on Wednesday, police said.
He is facing four charges of sexual assault and one charge of what police called “overcome resistance - choking.”
Ghomeshi, 47, was scheduled to appear in a Toronto court Wednesday afternoon.
The former “Q” radio host was fired by CBC on Oct. 26. The public broadcaster said it decided to terminate his employment after seeing “graphic evidence” that he had physically injured a woman.
Ghomeshi admitted in a lengthy Facebook post, published on the day he was fired, that he engaged in “rough sex” but insisted his encounters with women were consensual.
He also said in a follow-up post a few days later that he would meet the flurry of allegations against him “directly.”
Since his dismissal, nine women came forward with allegations, some dating back a decade, that Ghomeshi sexually or physically assaulted them. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Toronto police said they began an investigation into several allegations of sexual assault relating to Ghomeshi on Oct. 31.
A lawyer for Ghomeshi wasn't immediately available for comment.
Meanwhile, a CBC spokesman declined to comment on the charges against Ghomeshi.
“We don't comment on criminal investigations or matters before the court,” said Chuck Thompson.
The charges against Ghomeshi were announced a day after it came to light that he had reached an agreement with the CBC to withdraw his $55-million lawsuit against the public broadcaster.
Ghomeshi is expected to pay $18,000 in legal costs to CBC as part of the agreement, CBC has said.
He had also filed a union grievance against the CBC alleging dismissal without cause - a matter which still remains active.
The allegations against Ghomeshi led the CBC to launch an independent investigation into the scandal, a process that is being spearheaded by a Toronto employment lawyer with expertise in workplace harassment.
The broadcaster has also begun its search for a permanent replacement for Ghomeshi on “Q” and is looking at possibly changing the name of the program in the future.
