Three additional sexual assault charges were laid against former syndicated radio host Jian Ghomeshi on Thursday after more women came forward with abuse allegations in a scandal that has rocked Canada's public broadcaster.
Ghomeshi, 47, was in court to set a preliminary hearing date in the case when the new accusations were revealed.
His lawyer said he would plead not guilty to all of the charges, including four previous counts of sexual assault and one of choking.
Ghomeshi was originally charged last November, a month after being fired by Canada's public broadcaster over the accusations.
He sued the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for Can$55 million for wrongful dismissal but later withdrew the lawsuit.
The initial accusations were made anonymously but since then, at least 12 women have come forward with stories of being strangled, punched or slammed against walls by Ghomeshi.
Only six of them are plaintiffs in the criminal case, including “Trailer Park Boys” actress Lucy DeCoutere. The identities of the others are protected under a publication ban.
The latest three charges are related to alleged incidents in 2002, 2003 and 2008.
Ghomeshi has argued that the sex was consensual “rough sex” of the kind found in erotic romance novels such as the best-seller “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
But CBC head of English programming Heather Conway characterized the acts as “inflicting an injury on another human being.”
The case triggered an uproar in Canada, leading to an urgent public debate on sexual violence in society, as well as a rise in the number of complaints -- including by two parliamentarians against two fellow lawmakers.
Two senior CBC executives have also been suspended for allegedly mishandling an internal investigation into the affair.
Ghomeshi's top-rated arts magazine radio show “Q” was heard across Canada and in more than 180 cities in the United States.
It remains on air with a series of different guest hosts. - AFP