Kernan denies sexually assaulting a woman in 2010 and told a Quebec court that the alleged incident “never happened.”
Kernan appeared in court in Quebec City last week and flatly denied that he sexually assaulted the woman, accusing him of raping her in a hotel room in 2010.
The Grammy-winning rapper’s testimony marked a turning point in a trial that has revealed competing accounts of what happened at a Hilton hotel in July.
“That never happened. There was no moment of ambiguity in agreeing with her. That never happened,” he said on the witness stand.
The night began like a fairy tale, the woman testified earlier this week. He was charming, holding her hand and taking her backstage to watch him perform at a Quebec music festival.
But everything changed when she asked about conservation. She said he was “very angry.” He said his heart became heavy.
Both agreed to fall asleep after that conversation. Both agreed they had sex the next morning. This is where the story splits in two.
She said she woke up in the middle of the night to find him inside her without permission. He said that was a lie. He said she initiated sex in the morning and that was it.
When she sent him a YouTube video about sexual consent in 2015, years after they stopped talking, he refused.
“Because it’s ridiculous. I don’t think there’s an issue of consent at all,” he told the court. “She initiated the sexual act and that was it.”
The woman lodged a complaint with police in May 2022, more than a decade after the alleged attack.
They kept in touch via email and text messages over the years, and she eventually told him: “Yeah. Because you have no idea what you did.”
Testimony concluded this week, with closing arguments scheduled for April 1, according to CBC News.
If convicted, Kernan faces up to 10 years in prison.
The 48-year-old singer has built his career on socially conscious hip-hop, winning international recognition for his 2009 anthem “Wavin’ Flag,” which became the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The judge will decide who is telling the truth.
