The first complainant in the trial of fallen Canadian radio star Jian Ghomeshi has gone public with her identity, in hopes of using her own experience in the courtroom to help sexual assault survivors better navigate the country’s legal system.
“If I’m going to be an advocate for this, I can’t always be in the shadows,” said Linda Redgrave. “The whole system needs to be changed and made into a fair, even playing ground.”
One of Canada’s most prominent media personalities, Ghomeshi’s career came crashing to a halt in autumn 2014. Soon after dozens of women began coming forward with claims of being violently sexually assaulted by the radio star.
The first trial to emerge from the barrage of accusations was one of the most closely watched in Canadian history and sparked a national conversation on the ability of the country’s legal system to tackle sexual assault allegations.
In March, Ghomeshi was acquitted on four counts of sexual assault and one of choking to overcome resistance.
The judge’s decision left Redgrave livid. Some 15 months earlier she had shared her story with police, alleging Ghomeshi had pulled her hair and punched her in the head without warning during two different encounters. The act, Redgrave told the Guardian in an interview last month, hurtled the mother of two into what she described as one of the toughest experiences of her life.
The list of what she wished she had known from the outset of the process is long, ranging from how her police statement would be used in court to the toll testifying would take on her nerves.
As the trial drew to an end, Redgrave launched comingforward.ca, envisioning it as a resource to provide sexual assault survivors with the tools to understand and navigate the legal system, as well as find support from others who have been through the experience.
She hoped the website would help encourage survivors to come forward with their stories. “If we all just keep quiet and lick our wounds, no matter how bad and deep, nothing will change.” A 2012 study suggested that for every 1,000 assaults that occur in Canada, just 33 are reported to police.
Redgrave’s request to waive the publication ban was granted on Thursday. Actress Lucy DeCoutere, the second of the three female complainants in the trial, waived her right to a publication ban before the start of the trial.
Ghomeshi faces a second trial in June, stemming from allegations that relate to his time at the CBC.
