Closing arguments in the Jian Ghomeshi sex assault trial are set to start Thursday morning after the defence chose not to call anyone to the witness stand.

Wednesday’s court session was a quick one as the Crown submitted statements their fourth and final witness made to police as well as written exchanges she had with complainant Lucy DeCoutere.

The fourth witness, identified as Sarah Dunsworth, is not a complainant but a friend of DeCoutere. Both women met and worked as actresses on the set of “Trailer Park Boys” in 2000, becoming steadfast friends.

Dunsworth, who in a 2014 police statement described DeCoutere as one of her best friends, said DeCoutere called her days after a date with former radio star Ghomeshi and told her that he had choked her.

DeCoutere testified last week that Ghomeshi had just finished giving her a tour of his home after a dinner date on the Danforth when he "suddenly" starting kissing her and without warning, the accused starting choking her and slapping her across the face.

“She doesn’t go out on a lot of dates and usually if she does go on a date, she will call me afterwards and tell me about it,” Dunsworth told police, according to a transcript submitted in court. “If you knew Lucy, this would make sense. She started by laughing and going, ‘Is this normal?’

“And I answered like, ‘No, that’s – it’s really not normal.”

Dunsworth said she asked her friend if she had slept with Ghomeshi and DeCoutere said no.

“I said, like, ‘Oh, where did this come from?’ and she said ‘it came from out of nowhere,’” Dunsworth recalled.

Dunsworth did not appear in court Wednesday due to weather issues on the East Coast,but her statements to police as well as emails between her and DeCoutere were entered in as evidence.

In her police statement, Dunsworth said that she and DeCoutere were interviewed by Ghomeshi on his radio show to promote “Trailer Park Boys” years after the alleged incident took place and that it was “really awkward.”

“It was a very awkward interview,” she said. “He was obviously like extremely uncomfortable with us being there. And people who didn’t know anything about what had gone on between he and Lucy actually listened to the radio show and they called me afterwards and they were like, ‘Why was that – like why was he so rude to you guys?’”

“He was just really rude. He was really – he wasn’t – he obviously wasn’t interested in interviewing us even slightly,” Dunsworth continued. “He didn’t want us there.”

The defence had originally fought against having Dunsworth testify, saying their position is that DeCoutere fabricated the allegations from the start.

“The defence does not know when she started making fabrications against Mr. Ghomeshi and frankly we don’t care. But she has…beyond a reasonable doubt,” defence lawyer Danielle Robitaille told a packed courtroom Tuesday.

“The new witness will testify that she thinks she received a phone call from DeCoutere 10 years ago and that it was at a time when DeCoutere was living in Toronto. At the time in fact, DeCoutere was living in Halifax. She describes a two-handed choke around the neck. But DeCoutere on the stand alleges a one-hand manoeuvre. There is no slapping in DeCoutere's friend's account,” Robitaille said. “The friend's statement to police lacks the hallmark of independence.” 

Facebook messages exchanged

Robitaille also pointed to a Facebook conversation between the two women where DeCoutere tells Dunsworth that police want to speak with her regarding the allegations.

“Um, guess what?” DeCoutere wrote on Facebook messenger on November 13, 2014  after she made her claims public. “The Toronto cops want your number.”

“Just to corroborate?” Dunsworth responded.

“I told them I told you what happened AGES ago,” DeCoutere wrote back. “It makes it look like I’m not a copycat.” 

But the Crown argued Dunsworth’s recollection of her conversation with DeCoutere 10 years ago will help refute the defence’s claim that the complainant only came forward with the allegations to be in the spotlight, become a champion for a cause or to help a civil suit. They also said it will refute the the defence’s implication that DeCoutere colluded with another complainant to bring these allegations forward.

DeCoutere was one of three women who took the stand in the last eight days of trial and accused Ghomeshi of becoming violent during one of their dates back in the early 2000’s.

Ghomeshi, who was not expected to take the stand in his own defence, pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcome resistance choking. He has previously said in a Facebook post that he enjoys rough sex but has insisted that it was always consensual.

DeCoutere and Dunsworth chose not to remain anonymous during the proceedings but the identity of the other two women who took the stand remain sealed under the publication ban.

All three women have said that the violence was unwanted and that there was no discussion of consent.

Ghomeshi’s lawyers have grilled the three women who have taken the stand over the last week, presenting emails and correspondence the women sent to Ghomeshi after the alleged assaults where they continued to seek his company.

In DeCoutere’s case, the defence produced an email she had written Ghomeshi a day after the alleged attack saying, “You kicked my a** last night and that makes me want to f*** your brains out tonight.”

The trial is being held without a jury. Justice William Horkins is presiding over the case and will be the one to render a verdict once the trial is complete.  The trial is expected to wrap up this week.