Former Woodstock mayor found guilty of sexual assault

Accompanied by his lawyer, former Woodstock Mayor Trevor Birtch didn’t make any comment as he left the London courthouse Thursday.

There he was found guilty by Justice Michael Carnegie on two of three charges - guilty on charges of assault and sexual assault, and not guilty on an additional charge of sexual assault.

On the first day of the trial, Birtch pleaded not guilty. The former mayor had testified that from time to time, the female complainant in the case would go into a fit of rage and defence lawyer James Battin said, “There are certain time periods when this particular couple simply didn’t get along.”

During the four-day trial in May, the court heard evidence of a tumultuous relationship with a woman that was fueled by alcohol and lead to violence.

Carnegie found him guilty of one of assault stemming from an incident in 2021 when he threw his ex-girlfriend out of his car, and guilty of sexual assault in connection with an incident at a London hotel and spa on Valentine’s night of the same year. 

Birtch leaves London's courthouse on August 8, 2024 (Nick Paparella/CTV News London)

During the trial, both the victim and the accused testified, Carnegie said that he found Birtch’s testimony to be uncredible, “to be clear I reject his evidence; I’m concerned on multiple occasions he was being deceptive.”

And when it came to the female who cannot be identified, he said “Overall I find that [the complainant] was an impressive witness and a credible witness.”

A date for a sentencing hearing his expected to be set on Sept. 10. Meanwhile Birtch still faces a second set of sexual assault charges involving another woman, that case is expected to be heard next month.