Frank Stronach will not face jail time for indecent assault conviction, judge says | CBC News

WARNING: This story refers to sexual assault allegations and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

Ontario Crown prosecutors had been asking that the 94-year-old founder of auto-parts giant Magna International be sentenced to six months in jail for that conviction.

Molloy said she had "very firmly" decided that, based on the circumstances of the case, she would not be sentencing someone who is 94 to a jail term. Court will return on Dec. 11 for that decision.

Molloy asked Vlacic what she would consider to be a reasonable conditional sentence for Stronach. Vlacic said six months house arrest with exceptions for medical appointments and court appearances.

But at his sentencing hearing on Thursday, the 94-year-old founder of auto-parts giant Magna International is facing sentencing on just one of those charges — indecent assault.

On that charge, one of the women had told the court that Stronach invited her to a midtown Toronto apartment sometime in the fall of 1977, and while there, he bent her over the arm of a chair, lifted up her skirt and tried to rape her.

The woman, whose identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, said the assault had destroyed her sense of safety in social settings and that her feeling of apprehension is ongoing.

"The impact of an assault is not limited to the physical. It can also jolt one's identity and personality," she said. "Recovering one's comfort with people requires time and resilience, and it may never be complete."

Vlacic, the Crown prosecutor, argued that the passage of time since the assault occurred is a consideration but that people need to be held to account for their conduct.

But Stronach's lawyer, Leora Shemesh, countered that her client, instead of any jail time, should receive an absolute discharge — meaning the finding of guilty would remain but no conviction would be registered and Stronach would not have a criminal record. The finding of guilt would still come up in a background check but only for a year.

Stronach's lawyer accuses sex assault complainant of having a 'tendency to lie'

Shemesh went through a list of Stronach's accomplishments and contributions to society, stressing as well that until these charges, he had had no brushes with the law.