Former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi charged with 4 counts of sexual assault

Jian Ghomeshi, the co-creator and former host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's popular radio program Q, has been charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking. He has already surrendered to the custody of Toronto police.

The allegations against Ghomeshi first became public on October 26, when the CBC announced that it was firing the host due to unspecified "information" it had received. "This decision was not made without serious deliberation and careful consideration," said the CBC in a statement. Within the day, The Toronto Star published a story in which three women accused Ghomeshi of "unwanted sexual violence."

In a lengthy Facebook post published shortly after he was fired from the CBC, Ghomeshi dismissed the claims as "a campaign of false allegations pursued by a jilted ex girlfriend and a freelance writer," and announced a lawsuit against his former employer. That lawsuit was withdrawn last night, and Ghomeshi was ordered to pay $18,000 in legal costs to the CBC.

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Ghomeshi "is scheduled to appear in court early this afternoon," said the Toronto Police in a statement. "We will notify the media of the court location well in advance of the appearance."