TORONTO — Canadian businessman Frank Stronach was found guilty Friday of one count of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault following a judge-alone trial in Ontario Superior Court.Justice Anne Molloy convicted the 92-year-old billionaire on charges involving two of three complainants whose allegations were heard during the Toronto proceeding. Stronach was acquitted on the remaining charges.The case involved allegations dating from 1977 to 1990. Stronach faced five charges related to three women who accused him of sexual misconduct decades ago.In her ruling, Molloy said she found one complainant, who alleged Stronach groped her at his Toronto Harbourfront condominium, to be a “compelling, believable and truthful witness.” The woman testified that she had gone to meet Stronach to discuss being dismissed from her job as a waitress at one of his restaurants before the alleged assault occurred.Stronach was convicted of sexual assault in relation to that allegation.The judge also found him guilty of indecent assault involving another complainant who testified that Stronach invited her to a Toronto apartment, bent her over the arm of a chair, lifted her skirt and attempted to sexually assault her. Prosecutors had previously withdrawn an attempted rape charge connected to that allegation, but proceeded with the indecent assault count..Molloy acquitted Stronach on the remaining charges involving a third complainant. In her decision, she said there were “too many uncertainties” surrounding those allegations to support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.The judge released written reasons for judgment after delivering her ruling in court.During the trial, defence lawyers challenged the credibility and reliability of the complainants’ memories, noting that the allegations dated back several decades. Prosecutors argued that the women’s accounts were credible and supported convictions.Molloy addressed one defence argument concerning a complainant who accepted employment at Magna International after an alleged assault by Stronach. The defence suggested such a decision was inconsistent with her allegations. The judge found otherwise, noting the woman viewed the position as a significant career opportunity and believed she would not encounter further problems with Stronach.Outside the courthouse, Jane Boon, who alleges Stronach sexually assaulted her in 1986 and is pursuing a separate civil lawsuit against him, said the ruling was significant given the challenges of prosecuting historical sexual assault cases. Boon was not a complainant in the Toronto criminal trial.Stronach, founder of Magna International and one of Canada’s most prominent business figures, is scheduled to face a second criminal trial in Newmarket, Ont., next year. That proceeding involves allegations from six additional complainants after prosecutors divided the case into two separate trials.Stronach has denied the allegations against him.
