WATCH ABOVE: A third woman has gone to Toronto police with allegations of abuse. And investigators are now looking into reports of graphic video involving the former radio host. At this point, these are allegations and no charges have been laid. Mike Drolet reports.
TORONTO – Three women have now filed abuse complaints against fired CBC star Jian Ghomeshi and investigators are looking into the possibility of a “graphic” video in the network’s possession, police said Saturday.
“These people have come forward. They’ve seen that other people are talking about it and it’s brought it back up in their lives,” Insp. Joanna Beaven-Desjardins told reporters after confirming a third complaint was filed.
WATCH: The CBC released a statement saying they saw graphic evidence former “Q” host Jian Ghomeshi had caused physical injury to a woman. Mike Drolet reports.
“At this point, these are allegations. He has not been convicted of anything, these are allegations. We are trying to get all the information from our reportees – our victims – first, so that we have the best evidence to move forward,” with the assault and sexual assault investigation, Beaven-Desjardins added.
Police have not sought an interview with Ghomeshi, she said, but investigators will approach him “when the evidence leads us to that point.”
Neither Ghomeshi nor his spokesperson could be reached by The Canadian Press for comment on Saturday.
Ghomeshi has said he has engaged in rough sex, but that it was always consensual, and said he was fired as a CBC Radio host because of the risk that his sex life would become public “as a result of a campaign of false allegations.”
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As many as nine women – two named – have alleged in the media he attacked them physically and/or sexually without warning, but none had gone to police until Friday. Ghomeshi said Thursday on Facebook he would meet the allegations “directly,” but that he won’t discuss “this matter” further with the media.
Word of police involvement came hours after an announcement by the CBC on Friday that the emergence of “graphic” evidence that Ghomeshi had caused physical injury to a person prompted his firing last Sunday.
Beaven-Desjardins says police believe someone has viewed “graphic evidence of physical injury to a woman” and are looking into the possibility of video footage.
WATCH: The public relations battle of the popular former radio host may now become a legal one. Peter Kim reports
“That’s something we have to confirm – we don’t know if there is a video or isn’t a video… we have to do our due diligence.” She said police haven’t yet contacted the broadcaster but plan to do so.
CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said in an email only that the network will co-operate with the investigation.
Beaven-Desjardins said it’s believed there may be more alleged victims – including outside Ontario – and appealed to them, or anyone with information relating to the allegations, to contact police.
WATCH: Toronto police say three women have filed complaints against former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi.
Police have already contacted media outlets that have published accounts of the alleged abuse, asking them to tell their sources to contact the force’s sex crimes unit, she said. Work on the investigation, which Beaven-Desjardins described as in its “infancy,” began after the stories first ran earlier in the week.
READ MORE: Why don’t victims or bystanders report sexual assault?
“I felt that it would be better for us to get ahead of it and see exactly what’s coming together” in case an alleged victim approached police, she said.
The allegations have made headlines across the country and led to discussion about sexual consent and violence against women – publicity Beaven-Desjardins believes encouraged the complaints.
“It was an opportunity for it to be brought to the forefront in our society. And the way that our community gathered around it, and they were disgusted by it and knew that something had to be done, it allowed the alleged victims to come forward and get their story out.”
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One of the women who contacted police was Trailer Park Boys star Lucy DeCoutere, her publicist has confirmed, while Beaven-Desjardins wouldn’t offer any details on the three complainants.
Ghomeshi, 47 has launched a $55-million lawsuit against the CBC for breach of confidence and defamation. He has also filed a grievance alleging dismissal without proper cause that damaged his reputation.
The CBC has hired an independent investigator to look at its handling of the situation after at least one former employee said she had complained about his behaviour to a union rep, who spoke to his executive producer, but nothing substantive was done.
WATCH: Three women have filed complaints to police alleging they were assaulted and sexually assaulted by Jian Ghomeshi. Cindy Pom reports.
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