Toronto Police Are Investigating Jian Ghomeshi

Fallen Canadian media star Jian Ghomeshi may be facing more than just unemployment. Following his sudden termination from the CBC, the former radio host is now under a criminal probe, as Toronto police begin investigating claims that Ghomeshi sexually assaulted and physically injured women who he dated. The investigation was prompted by two new complaints made to Toronto police in the last week, triggered, in part, by Ghomeshi's sudden termination and newly publicized details of his sexual encounters.

Since Ghomeshi, who had been with the CBC for nearly 14 years, was fired from his post on Oct. 26, nearly a dozen women have accused the former radio host of sexual assault and harassment, according to the Toronto Star. Most of the alleged victims spoke anonymously with outlets such as The Star, but on Friday, two women made formal complaints to Toronto police — the first women to come forward to authorities.

The CBC reports that a third woman has come forward. In a Saturday afternoon news conference, Insp. Joanna Beaven-Desjardins of the Toronto police made a public plea for information regarding the case, and urged victims to come forward and file complaints. "Even if they don't want to report but they want to talk to us, we welcome that," Beaven-Desjardins said, as quoted by the CBC.

On Friday, the CBC released a memo explaining what prompted them to fire Ghomeshi, revealing previously unknown details about his sex life. Although CBC executives knew about the allegations against Ghomeshi since the spring, they claim they didn't see "graphic evidence" of a physical injury Ghomeshi caused until last Thursday.

The CBC memo states:

At no time prior to last week was the CBC aware that Jian had engaged in any activities which resulted in the physical injuries of another person. ... After viewing this graphic evidence we determined that Jian’s conduct was a fundamental breach of CBC’s standard of acceptable conduct for any employee.

It also made clear that the CBC knew about a pending investigative story for the Toronto Star that featured four women alleging they were sexually assaulted, physically injured or sexually harassed by the radio host. The CBC admitted in the memo that they heard the story from Ghomeshi in the spring, but he and his lawyers denied the accusations. Because the allegations were never proven, the CBC trusted Ghomeshi and The Star killed the story.

However, not long after Ghomeshi defended himself and his relationships on Facebook, The Star released the story. The four victims described being hit, punched and choked by Ghomeshi, either before or during sexual encounters.

Following the publication of the story, more women have been speaking with The Star, including Canadian actress Lucy DeCoutere, who says she was choked and hit by Ghomeshi during an encounter in 2003. DeCoutere is the first woman to reveal her identity in the case.

She recently told The Star:

He did not ask if I was into it. It was never a question. It was shocking to me. The men I have spent time with are loving people.

Meanwhile, Ghomeshi continues to deny the allegations. He posted on Facebook on Thursday that he's refusing media interviews and won't be making public comments any time soon.

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