The counter-narrative emerges
I’m with our CBC crew in London covering the trial.
On the break I spoke to criminal defence lawyer Ingrid Grant, who’s in Toronto and isn’t involved in this case but is watching it.
Grant says that during cross-examination, when Humphrey (lawyer for one of the accused, McLeod) asked E.M. whether it was she who suggested McLeod’s friends come in, that could have been the first glimpse of “the defence counter-narrative” during this trial.
Grant says the defence has an uphill battle having to explain how it is that a group of men showed up in the hotel room, particularly if it was unsolicited and unwanted.
The optics of how intimidating that would be for a lone woman also make it difficult, she says.
“So there’s gonna have to be an explanation for that, and there’s going to have to be an explanation that doesn’t suggest that she was not consenting to this. … I think that the counter -narrative has to be, ‘Well, she wanted the other people to be there and they’re clearly trying to build on that.’”
During cross-examination, E.M. denied this suggestion from Humphrey
Grant cautions it is important to remember that questions aren’t evidence, and unless someone testifies that E.M. asked for McLeod to invite others into the room, then that’s that.
