A judge in a Hockey Canada trial finds five former players not guilty of sexual assault
A judge ruled on Thursday that five former players from Canada’s 2018 world junior ice hockey team were not guilty of sexually abusing a woman in a hotel room that year.
Following a Hockey Canada banquet to celebrate their triumph in the world junior championship, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, and Cal Foote were charged with an altercation in a hotel room in the Canadian city of London.
McLeod was charged with one count of being a party to an offense, while the other five former NHL players were each charged with one count of sexual assault. Each of them entered a not guilty plea.
Additionally, McLeod was found not guilty of the other offense.
Justice Maria Carroccia told the courtroom that the complainant’s evidence was not “credible or reliable” and that the Crown had not proven that she did not consent to the sexual activity, according to CBC News.
“Justice Carroccia’s well-reasoned ruling is a clear vindication for Mr. McLeod and his co-defendants,” stated David Humphrey, McLeod’s attorney.
“Justice Carroccia found that the complainant’s testimony was uncredible and was unreliable.”
Meaghan Cunningham, the crown attorney, told reporters that they would “carefully review” Carroccia’s ruling but declined to comment further because the matter is still for appeal.
A request for comment regarding the decision was not immediately answered by Hockey Canada.
McLeod and Foote were with the New Jersey Devils, Dube was with the Calgary Flames, Hart was with the Philadelphia Flyers, and Formenton was playing in Switzerland when the allegations were made public in January 2024.
Before Carroccia and the attorneys opted to move forward with a judge-alone trial, the trial, which started in April and attracted global attention, was marred by numerous setbacks, including a mistrial and two rejected jurors.
In February 2019, a police investigation into the alleged incident was closed without charges. However, in July 2022, the investigation was reopened after public outcry revealed that Hockey Canada had paid an undisclosed settlement to the woman who made the accusations using players’ registration fees.
As a result of the controversy, several large corporations either halted or terminated their sponsorships with Hockey Canada, and the federal government of Canada suspended Hockey Canada’s funding for ten months.
Hockey Canada’s CEO and board of directors resigned amid the controversy, and the organization announced it would no longer use the player registration fee-funded fund to resolve sexual assault accusations.
