Ex-Woodstock, Ont., mayor found guilty of sexual assault, judge calls him an 'obvious liar'
CBC
WARNING: This story contains details of sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Former Woodstock, Ont., mayor Trevor Birtch has been found guilty of two more counts of sexual assault.
In a scathing verdict released Tuesday, Superior Court Justice Spencer Nicholson said Birtch "lied frequently and extravagantly, and insulted the court's intelligence" during his testimony.
"I do not believe the evidence of Mr. Birtch. I found him completely unbelievable."
Birtch faced three charges of sexual assault against the same woman in alleged incidents in August 2021, April 2022, and between January and April 2022.
He was found not guilty for the April 2022 sexual assault because the survivor's recollection was too vague, Nicholson said.
But the judge painted an unflattering picture of the then former mayor, finding Birtch supplied the woman with drugs and alcohol to make her more vulnerable to his sexual assaults.
"Her drug addiction was largely fed by Mr. Birtch," Nicholson said at the London courthouse.
More to come
Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
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