Mistrial declared in Frank Stronach’s sexual assault conviction: defence lawyer

TORONTO — A judge has declared a mistrial on Frank Stronach’s sexual assault conviction in a rare post-verdict ruling, the billionaire businessman’s lawyer said Friday.

The 93-year-old was found guilty last month of sexual assault and the historical offence of indecent assault related to separate allegations brought by two of the complainants in his trial.

Lawyer Leora Shemesh said a mistrial on the sexual assault conviction was granted on Friday after she presented emails in court from the woman’s lawyer in a separate civil complaint. She alleged those emails told a story inconsistent with the woman’s testimony in the criminal trial.

In an interview, Shemesh called the decision to declare a mistrial after a conviction “incredibly rare.”