Witnesses take the stand in Paul Sadlon sexual assault trial
Warning: Some readers may find the language and contents of this article triggering and/or disturbing.
The sexual assault trial of Barrie businessman Paul Sadlon entered day two with a boss and two colleagues of the complainant taking the stand.
Crown attorney, Miriam Villamil-Pallister, called the three witnesses to learn more about the meeting on Dec. 4, 2019, inside the Barrie, Ont. car dealership where the alleged sexual assault took place.
The first witness, the woman's boss, told the court he learned of the allegations from the woman later that night in an email she had sent.
He testified that she claimed Sadlon sexually assaulted her after a business meeting.
A publication ban protects the woman's identity. CTV News will not be identifying the witnesses to shield her identity.
Her boss testified he met with the woman a few times following the alleged assault and noted, "she would start to talk about things, and she would break down to tears."
The defence questioned the witness and wanted the man to read recent text messages he said he received from the complainant, to which the Crown objected, and Justice Joe Wilson agreed weren't necessary.
The next witness for the Crown had attended the meeting and told the court he recalled Sadlon making a joke, saying, "I don't think he thought it was inappropriate, even though it was." He added, "It might be dated humour."
On Monday, the complainant testified that Sadlon placed his hand on her arm and made a joke about wanting "another pussy around the house to pet." She told the court she believed the comment was about her.
Today, the witness told the court he never saw Sadlon place his hand on her arm, adding he was multitasking at the time and didn't notice Sadlon's hand movements or gestures. "Paul was pleased she was there," he said. "He seemed to be in a happy mood."
The Crown's last witness of the day, who was also in the meeting, said he remembered the remark by Sadlon. He said he made a joke and tried to turn the discussion back to business, telling the court he never saw Sadlon place his hand on her.
During her testimony on Monday, the complainant said that after the meeting ended and they were alone in the room, Sadlon hugged her, kissed her cheek and tried to put his tongue in her mouth against her will.
"He was moaning when he was rubbing himself against me, and he was trying to put his tongue in my mouth," she testified. She told the court he then grabbed her breast and added that when he moved his hand away, she turned, and he then cupped her other breast from behind.
The day's final witness said he recalled the complainant left the office that day rather quickly and that she was gone when he got outside.
"At the time, I thought she was just late for another meeting," he said.
The complainant had told the court Monday that she "was in shock" and "just needed to get out of the room."
"I was there for a professional meeting. I wasn't there to have anything personal happen," the complainant testified.
She told the court she reported the altercation to her boss that night and reported it to the police a week later.
The trial of the 89-year-old Barrie businessman continues on Wednesday. It's unclear if the defence will call any witnesses to testify.
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