Provincial court Justice Joseph Wilson acquitted 89-year-old Paul Sadlon Sr. on Monday after finding that the Crown did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he sexually assaulted a woman during a businesses meeting in Barrie on Dec. 4, 2019.
Wilson said he had some problems with the evidence of both the complainant and Sadlon, who took the stand in his own defence. But ultimately the case came down to a he-said, she-said scenario.
“I am left with a reasonable doubt,” the judge said.
During the three-day trial last month, the Crown called five witnesses.
The complainant, who cannot be identified because of a publication ban, said Sadlon made a lewd joke during the meeting while touching her arm. And once the meeting had come to an end and the others had left the room, she testified that he tried to kiss her, was grinding his groin against her and grabbed her breasts.
Sadlon denied touching her and said he didn’t recall making the joke.
Both Sadlon’s version of the events and that of the complainant had problems, the judge concluded in finding Sadlon not guilty.
Sadlon is a longtime Barrie businessman who owns Paul Sadlon Motors on Bayfield Street.
