Trial for former local nightclub owner set to begin in 2024 in Hamilton
The trial of a former Hamilton nightclub owner charged two summers ago with sexually assaulting six women here is still a year away.
Meanwhile, a court in British Columbia recently decided he will face five separate trials there in connection to charges involving five other women.
Jesse Chiavaroli is alleged to have preyed on women at the bars and restaurants where he worked, sometimes slipping drugs into their drinks before sexually assaulting them.
His arrests made headlines across the country with dozens of women taking to social media to report their own experiences with him in a powerful #MeToo moment. Outrage in Victoria, where he had worked as a bartender at Chuck's Burger Bar (owned by another former Hamilton business owner), led to a boycott and protests and eventually the permanent closing of the restaurant.
Chiavaroli is out on bail and living in B.C. while facing allegations of preying on 11 women in two provinces.
Publication bans protect the identities of the women.
One media outlet in Victoria mistakenly reported over the weekend that new charges were laid against Chiavaroli. That is not the case. The court generated new paperwork by severing his existing charges into separate indictments, meaning five separate trials," according to Thomas Arbogast, his lawyer on those matters.
The Ministry of the Attorney General for B.C. also confirmed to The Spectator this is a severance of existing charges.
After The Hamilton Spectator published a story in February 2021 investigating Chiavaroli's reputation in Hamilton and Victoria, he was investigated and charged.
He worked in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines from 2009 to 2015, at one time operating a St. Catharines bar called Cache.
From 2015 to 2018 he worked in Hamilton. He was part-owner of the short-lived Baroque nightclub on John Street South and he ran three bars in Hess Village - Ora, Trust and Heist.
The sexual assault charges laid by Hamilton police relate to alleged incidents spanning July 1, 2015, to June 20, 2018.
Soon after the last alleged assault, Chiavaroli skipped town for B.C.
The Spectator reported on allegations of sexual assault against Chiavaroli, his frequent use of cocaine, thousands of dollars in debts that he owed to business colleagues and his problems with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
In June 2021, Hamilton police sexual assault investigators charged him with six counts of sexual assault.
In December 2021, the British Columbia Prosecution Service charged him with four counts of sexual assault and one count of assault with a weapon. The alleged incidents happened between May 2019 and December 2020.
He is also facing a charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking in Burnaby, B.C.
Chiavaroli's trial in Hamilton is set to begin in April 2024 and last four weeks. His lawyer for that case, Harval Bassi, declined comment.
With the matter still being before the courts, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment," he said.
Survivors are encouraged to report to Hamilton Police Service by contacting the sexual assault unit (non-emergency line) at 905-540-5553 or hamiltonpolice.on.ca to file an online report. You can also provide information anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or submit anonymous tips at crimestoppershamiIton.com.
Resources for survivors of sexual violence:- SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton and Area): 905-525-4162
- McMaster University Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office: svpro@mcmaster.ca
- SAVIS (Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton): 905-875-1555
- Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences: 905-521-2100 ext. 73557
Susan Clairmont is a justice columnist at The Spectator. sclairmont@thespec.com