'I realized I’m being raped': Witness outlines alleged attack by Frank Stronach at condo as trial begins

WARNING: This story references sexual assault allegations and  may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

One of seven complainants in the first sex assault trial for Frank Stronach, which started Thursday, told the court she recalls waking up in a downtown Toronto condo with the billionaire businessman on top of her.

“I realized I’m being raped at that moment," she said. "I knew I hadn't consented to any of this."

The woman, who had been employed by Stronach and whose identity is protected by a publication ban, alleged she was sexually assaulted by Stronach in 1981.

Stronach, 93, faces a total of 12 charges, including sexual assault and forcible confinement. Two of the counts, rape and attempted rape, are considered historical charges as they were abolished when the Criminal Code was amended in 1983 to create the offence of sexual assault.

The judge-alone trial is being overseen by Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy. He's also set to face a separate trial in Newmarket, Ont., later this year after the case was split into two proceedings. 

The allegations by seven women in Toronto span the period between 1977 and 1990, with one specified as having happened in suburban Scarborough.

Stronach, who was in the courtroom wearing a black suit Thursday, has denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Woman describes alleged assault

Under questioning by assistant Crown attorney Jelena Vlacic, the woman told the court about the events that led up to the alleged attack.

She said she met two other friends at Rooney’s, a restaurant that Stronach owned, for her birthday celebration. When there, she said Stronach appeared with a bottle of champagne in his hands. She said she recalled telling Stronach that she doesn’t drink but that she may have had a taste of the champagne.

The next thing she recalled, she told the court, was being on the dance floor. She said her head was “very woozy” and that she had no control over he body, that she felt drunk and discombobulated.

It was on the dance floor, she said, where Stronach then penetrated her vagina with his fingers. She said she was in pain, that he was holding her very closely, but that she was struggling against him and saying, "No, no.”

The woman told the court she was then taken off the dance floor and shoved into a booth by Stronach, who again penetrated her with his fingers.

“He seemed like an octopus," she said. "I wanted to crawl away ... my body wasn't working, nothing was working."

WATCH | Billionaire businessman Frank Stronach arrested, charged:Frank Stronach, the Austrian-born Canadian billionaire businessman, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts including rape, sexual assault and forcible confinement. Police say the allegations span from the 1980s to as recently as 2023.

Her next memory, she said, was waking up, lying on her back and seeing her face in a dimly lit mirror above her. She told the court that she also saw Stronach's naked back and bottom and that it felt like someone was having sex with her.

She said she had no idea where she was, that she was trying to figure out what was going on and was "terrified at this point."

She told the court that she realized she was being sexually assaulted, adding that she never would have slept with an old man, particularly an old, married man.

She said Stronach rolled over and let her go to the washroom, and that she was "absolutely terrified" and "afraid for my life," all the while trying to figure how to escape.

The woman said when she left washroom, Stronach was dressed, and that she then put on her clothes. She said Stronach led her upstairs to windows that were facing the Toronto Islands.

Frank Stronach, pictured here in 2024, has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to all charges. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

Stronach, she told court, was just "chattering along," acting like they'd been on a date and "we'd had fun." She said he was blasé about what had happened.

"I was just horrified," she said, adding that she doesn't recall saying anything to him.

She said they then walked out of the condo and got into Stronach's sportscar that was parked outside the building. She said Stronach then drove her to her car, that was still parked at his restaurant.

The woman said she then drove to her parents' place in Mississauga, but stopped on Queen Street to "yell and scream" and get the adrenaline out over what had just happened.

The woman said she didn't go to police immediately after the alleged attack because part of her wanted the whole thing to be done and over with. She also told court that she questioned who would believe her over Stronach.

At the time, she said, “it always seemed to be the victim’s fault." But she said she contacted police in 2015, in part, because she was inspired by other women who started coming forward saying they had been victims of sexual misconduct.

Complainant cross-examined over previous statements

But under cross examination, Stronach's defence lawyer Leora Shemesh zeroed in on what she suggested were inconsistencies in the woman's story.

Shemesh questioned why, in previous police statements, media interviews and legal proceedings the woman had said that the alleged attack occurred in 1980, not 1981.

Shemesh suggested that the complainant changed the date to 1981 because during cross-examination in the preliminary hearing, Shemesh suggested that Stronach may not have been in the country for the 1980 date.

The woman said she had told police it was either 1980 or 1981 but that she was now "90 per cent sure" the alleged attack occurred on 1981.

The complainant acknowledged under cross-examination that she couldn't be certain if the dance floor where she said she was first attacked by Stronach was actually located in the restaurant Rooney's where she was celebrating her birthday.

She agreed that it could have been located in another establishment as she had no idea what happened during the time she was at the restaurant table with her friends and then, on the dance floor with Stronach.

Shemesh also questioned the woman about an interview she gave police at her home in 2015 about the alleged sexual assault. The woman told court that she couldn't recall that interview.

But Shemesh pressed her on some of the details of that interview, including notes taken by the officer that stated the woman had told the officer that she didn't know if she had consented or not, due to alcohol.

She said she never would have told the officer that, and that she "knew it was rape the second" she saw Stronach on top of her. She also insisted that she did not get drunk.

Crown outlines allegations against Stronach

Before the first complainant testified, assistant Crown attorney Julia Bellehumeur outlined the allegations against Stronach. Some involved a similar pattern, with Stronach allegedly taking women to a Toronto condo, then overpowering and sexually assaulting them, Bellehumeur said.

Bellehumeur said that all the alleged incidents occurred without the consent of the complainant.

She said that Stronach "knew or was willfully blind" to the fact that they were not consenting.

If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can look for crisis lines and local services via the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada database. ​​

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