Ex-Woodstock mayor Trevor Birtch 'very different behind the scenes,' complainant tells sexual assault trial

WARNING: This story references allegations of sexual assault and includes graphic details:

The complainant in the Trevor Birtch trial was challenged during cross-examination on Friday about her claim she was sexually assaulted by the former Woodstock, Ont., mayor during a car ride with him to a beach area on Lake Erie. 

The woman, whose identity is protected by a court order, was questioned by Birtch's lawyer, James Battin, about her earlier testimony of events on Aug. 15, 2021, while on the drive from Woodstock to Turkey Point, about an hour south. 

In testimony earlier this week in London, the woman said Birtch did nothing to prevent her from being beaten by a man who joined them to eat at a picnic table while Birtch cooked hot dogs on a portable stove. The woman said Birtch had later forced her to perform oral sex on him during a roadside stop despite her having suffered injuries in the earlier attack by the man. 

Battin suggested that his client tried to stop the assault at the picnic table. 

"I'm sorry sir — I disagree," the woman said. "Trevor did nothing." 

Battin also suggested Birtch didn't drink alcohol or use cocaine that day, countering the woman's earlier testimony. 

Regarding the alleged assault, the woman testified earlier that Birtch had pushed her face toward his crotch during a roadside stop. Battin suggested Birtch was instead trying to hold her steady as she squatted to urinate at the roadside. The woman denied any suggestion that the assault didn't happen. 

The woman, who's in her late 30s and whose identity is protected by court order, had dated Birtch on and off from 2017 to 2022. 

Birtch served two terms as mayor until his defeat in 2022. The Ontario Superior Court trial, which started on Tuesday and is scheduled to continue into next week, is being heard by a judge alone. 

Now 49, he's pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault relating to the woman, who began her testimony on Thursday afternoon. 

In court, the woman has struggled at times to answer specific details of the alleged assaults, particularly around dates they were said to have occurred. 

Under questioning by assistant Crown attorney Jennifer Moser early Friday, the woman described a general pattern of abuse.

She told the court that Birtch would go to her downtown Woodstock apartment on an almost daily basis. She said he would often abuse her and act inappropriately, but she would allow him to see her again.