Former mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson alleges Rob Ford touched her inappropriately

Former mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson alleges Rob Ford touched her inappropriately

Sarah Thomson says that Rob Ford made a lewd comment at a function at the Arcadian Court last night. She posted an image on Facebook with a caption early this morning that reads:

Thought it was a friendly hello to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford at the CJPAC Action Party tonight until he suggested I should have been in Florida with him last week because his wife wasn’t there. Seriously wanted to punch him in the face. Happy International Women’s Day!

Thomson described those comments again this morning on Newstalk 1010, adding that the mayor suggested, “We could’ve had some fun” and grabbed her while the pair were taking photos. Thomson said she then suggested to one of Ford’s aides to get him out of the party because he was “out of it.” She says she doesn’t plan to take any legal action, but wants an apology and says Ford “has got to start behaving like the mayor.”

Ford has not yet issued a statement, but his chief of staff Mark Towhey told Newstalk 1010 that the mayor was in Florida with his wife and children last week; that Thomson never spoke about the incident to the mayor’s people; and the mayor didn’t drink any alcohol. Towhey said that Ford’s team is currently in discussion with legal council. The story has exploded on Facebook and Twitter, though what exactly happened remains unclear.

Update: The mayor’s office released a statement from Ford on Friday afternoon, which reads, “Early this morning, false allegations were made regarding a number of disgusting actions. I am shocked, dismayed and surprised. I can say without hesitation that they are absolutely, completely false.”