Sexual assault charges against well-known former hairstylist Frank Marasco have been withdrawn by the Crown.
Assistant Crown attorney Terry Waltenbury told the court on Tuesday there have been difficulties in prosecuting the case, as well as a number of delays, and said it would be in the public interest to resolve the matter through a common-law peace bond.
The peace bond is for 12 months. Marasco is to have no communication with his two complainants.
A trial date for one of the two sexual assault charges had been scheduled for November this year.
Marasco’s defence lawyer, Michael Lacy, said they were prepared to proceed to trial and had the Crown persisted with the prosecution, “we were confident that Frank would have been found not guilty.”
“Frank agreed to enter into a common law peace bond to continue not to have any contact or association with the complainants for a further year,” Lacy said. “He did so to avoid further delay and expense and because has no interest in associating with the people who made the allegations against him. He did not acknowledge any civil or criminal liability and denies that he did what he was accused of.”
Marasco was arrested and charged in November 2019 with one count of sexual assault.
A second sexual assault charge was laid against Marasco in February 2020. Police said this charge related to an alleged historical sexual assault that took place in 1978.
Lacy told Sudbury.com in May the historical sexual assault charge was expected to be dealt with in a way that did not involve criminal adjudication.
