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Now we know a little more about how fallen Canadian media star Jian Ghomeshi successfully disappeared from the public eye for a month before he appeared in a Toronto courtroom on sexual assault and choking charges on Wednesday.
Top music agent Jeffrey Latimer offered the former CBC radio host the use of his Gull Lake cottage near Minden, Ontario, but insists he told Ghomeshi to leave after sexual assault allegations against Ghomeshi erupted into a major scandal on Oct. 26.
Read more Former Canadian Radio Host Jian Ghomeshi Arrested on Assault Charges
“For the record, I was not aware of the allegations against Jian Ghomeshi when I granted him access to my cottage,” Latimer, who reps The Tenors and actress Lisa Ray, said in a statement obtained on Thursday by The Hollywood Reporter. Latimer said Ghomeshi told him about an “upcoming Facebook post” and that he needed somewhere “for a break.”
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“Once the news broke, I asked Jian to leave. I checked in at the cottage a few days later, and he was gone,” the Toronto theater impresario added in his statement. Latimer did not indicate how long Ghomeshi remained in his cottage after his October 26 firing by the CBC.
He has not been in contact with Ghomeshi since he moved hiding places, Latimer added. Before the former radio host surrendered to Toronto police on Wednesday, there was widespread speculation that Ghomeshi had fled the country, including going to Los Angeles.
Read more ‘Trailer Park Boys’ Star Lucy DeCoutere Accuses Jian Ghomeshi of Assault
He now faces four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance, or choking. Ghomeshi was released on $100,000 bail on condition he lives with his mother and surrenders his passport.
His arrest followed the Toronto police sex crimes unit launching an investigation into Ghomeshi after nine women came forward to Canadian media outlets with allegations of sexual assault and sexual abuse.
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