Timothy Hutton to Face No Charge for 1983 Rape Allegation

Canadian prosecutors will not bring criminal charges against Hollywood actor Timothy Hutton after a Canadian ex-model and former child actor alleged he raped her in 1983 when she was 14 years old, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

“Timothy Hutton has officially been cleared by law enforcement of a criminal complaint filed against him. The Canadian authorities scrutinized the matter and found a glaring lack of support and proof of Ms. Johnston’s claim,” Joshua Rosenberg, Hutton’s U.S. lawyer with Kinsella Weitzman, told THR in a statement.

Hutton’s legal counsel was informed of the lead prosecutor’s decision on July 7 and told that the case was now considered closed. Representatives from the British Columbia Prosecution Service were not available for direct comment.

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Sera Johnston filed a criminal complaint with the Vancouver police in late 2019 about the alleged incident that took place while Hutton was shooting the 1984 film Iceman, directed by Fred Schepisi, in Vancouver. Johnston claimed she met the actor while with three friends, and that they were invited back to Hutton’s Vancouver hotel, where they were served drinks. Then, Johnston claimed, Hutton raped her while a friend watched.

Two years ago, Hutton’s lawyers told BuzzFeed News, which first reported the allegations, that the actor “completely and unequivocally denies” the story, that he never met Johnston, and that he was the subject of an extortion attempt.

The age of consent in Canada is 16 years old now, but was 14 in 1983. There is no statute of limitations for sexual assault, misconduct or battery claims in Canada.

Hutton won the best supporting actor Academy Award in 1981 for his role in Ordinary People. His other credits include Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder and Amazon’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.