‘Frank … please don't do this’: Woman tells court Stronach raped her in hotel room in 1990
CBC
WARNING: This story references sexual assault allegations and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
A woman said she tried to fight back against Frank Stronach and repeatedly urged him to "please stop" as the Canadian businessman raped her inside a hotel room back in 1990, court heard on Monday.
“I kept struggling, fighting him, saying, ‘No, Frank, stop,” said the woman, crying as she told the court about the alleged attack.
“Stop, please, I beg you, stop. Don't do this. Don't do this.”
The woman, who is now 71, was very emotional throughout her testimony, often bursting into tears as she testified.
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.
Stronach, founder of auto-parts giant Magna International, has denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The woman is the fifth of seven female complainants to testify. Their allegations span the period between 1977 and 1990.
On Monday, the complainant told court she had met Stronach through a mutual friend back in 1980. She said over a period of a few months, she would go to Rooney’s, the restaurant Stronach owned, where she would see him there.
She said she never really got to know him that well, other than when she might say hi at Rooney's.
The woman told court that she hadn't seen Stronach in years until she ran into him at a hotel restaurant located in Markham or Scarborough as she was waiting for a client, sometime in November 1990.
The woman said Stronach sat down with her, that they chatted for a bit, and he asked for her number.
During that meeting, the woman, who had just months earlier given birth, told court that she became very emotional as she discussed with Stronach her breakup with her boyfriend.
The woman said Stronach was very understanding, tried to console her and suggested they continue their conversation in his hotel suite.
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