Former radio and television personality Eric Salvail walks the halls of the courthouse, in Montreal, on Feb. 17, 2020.Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press
The lawyer for fallen Quebec media star Eric Salvail is continuing his efforts to poke holes in the testimony of the former entertainer’s accuser.
Michel Massicotte is on his second day cross-examining Donald Duguay, one of Salvail’s former co-workers who claims the ex-talk show host cornered him, exposed himself and tried to force him into performing a sex act.
Massicotte brought up in court today several instances when Duguay’s testimony differed from previous statements the accuser made, in declarations to police and during the preliminary hearing last fall.
Salvail’s lawyer is raising questions about Duguay’s description of the bathroom at the Radio-Canada building in Montreal where the assault is alleged to have taken place and about the specific gestures made by the two men during the altercation.
The 50-year-old Salvail faces charges of sexual assault, harassment and unlawful confinement for events in 1993 involving a single complainant.
Salvail, who has pleaded not guilty and opted for trial by judge alone, was one of Quebec’s most popular entertainers until he departed show business in 2017 after allegations of sexual misconduct were published by Montreal’s La Presse.
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