In January 2024, five Canadian World Junior Championship players were charged with sexual assault in London, Ontario. The trial began in April and now the verdict has been reached:
All players are acquitted on all counts.
Since I have found that I cannot rely on the testimony of the plaintiff, and considering the evidence in the trial as a whole, I conclude that the prosecution cannot meet its burden of proof in any of the charges before me, says Maria Carroccia, judge at the Supreme Court of Ontario.
The prosecutors have 30 days to appeal the verdict, they then need to account for legal deficiencies in Carroccia's reasoning, writes CBC.
The charge concerns sexual assault in connection with a charity gala in June 2018 when the team was celebrated for its World Junior Championship gold the same year. The plaintiff stated that she was sexually exploited by five players in a hotel room.
The case was closed by the police, but the police reopened the case in 2022 after it was revealed that the Canadian hockey association had covered up the incident and tried to reach a settlement with the woman.
All players – Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart and Callan Foote – have denied the crime, reports AFP.
The players, who have all played in the NHL, left their clubs when the charge was brought and have not been active since then.
