Warning: Story contains graphic content about alleged sexual assault
LONDON, Ontario (AP) — An Ontario judge acquitted five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team on Thursday in their sexual assault case, saying the complainant's allegations lacked the credibility needed to justify the charges.
Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said prosecutors could not meet the onus of proof for the charges against Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote.
All five players had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in an encounter that took place in a London, Ontario, hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018. Years of speculation regarding the allegations — fueled by a lawsuit settlement, parliamentary hearings and revived investigations by the police and Hockey Canada, along with an NHL investigation — all preceded a complex trial earlier this year that included a mistrial and the dismissal of the jury, leaving the verdict to Carroccia.
Carroccia explained her reasoning for the acquittals in detail over the course of about five hours, highlighting the complainant’s "tendency to blame others" for inconsistencies in her allegations. She also said the woman went to "great lengths" to point out that she was really drunk through the course of the night, but that is not supported by surveillance video from a bar and hotel that night and the testimony of others.
McLeod was also acquitted — and pleaded not guilty — on a separate count of being a party to the offense, an unusual application of a charge that is more typically seen in murder cases.
The players, who are now between the ages of 25 and 27, were in London at the time for a gala and golf tournament marking their championship victory. They walked out of the courthouse surrounded by family members following the verdict.
Their lawyers called the result a "resounding vindication."
Karen Bellehumeur, the woman's lawyer, told reporters outside the courthouse that her client was devastated.
"She's really never experienced not being believed like this before," Bellehumeur said. "She agreed to do everything asked of her by the criminal justice system. She spoke to the police whenever requested, she reviewed her evidence, she prepared her testimony, she answered every question, she spoke with intelligence and from her heart, yet it was not enough."
The NHL said the players — none of whom is currently on an NHL roster or has an active contract — remained ineligible to play in the league while it reviews the judge's findings, adding in a statement that the allegations in the case were disturbing, even if not determined to be criminal.
The NHL Players Association said the five should have the opportunity to return to the ice, adding that the league's eligibility ruling was "inconsistent" with discipline procedures in the collective bargaining agreement.
Prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham thanked the complainant for coming forward, adding that her team will "carefully review" the judge's decision while it's still within the 30-day appeal period.
The woman testified in May that she was naked, drunk and scared when four of the men showed up unexpectedly in her room at the Delta Hotel London Armouries and felt the only "safe" option was to do what they wanted. Prosecutors argued the players did what they wanted without taking steps to ensure she was voluntarily consenting to sexual acts.
"I made the choice to dance with them and drink at the bar, I did not make the choice to have them do what they did back at the hotel," she testified.
Defense attorneys cross-examined her for days and suggested she actively participated in or initiated sexual activity because she wanted a "wild night." Two short videos of the complainant taken by McLeod the night of the encounter were played in court. In one, the woman says it was "all consensual," though she told the court that wasn't how she truly felt.
Protesters gathered outside a packed London courthouse Thursday morning, holding signs that signaled support for the complainant, whose identity was not disclosed throughout the trial under Canadian law.
The public didn't learn of the allegations for years. Police closed their initial investigation without charges in early 2019, but the complainant sued Hockey Canada in 2022. The organization settled the lawsuit amid intense scrutiny that cost it sponsors, but police reopened their investigation.
The players' identities were made public when they were charged in early 2024. At the time, four of them played in the NHL — Dube for the Calgary Flames, Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers, and McLeod and Foote for the New Jersey Devils. Formenton had previously played for the Ottawa Senators before joining a Swiss team. All went on indefinite leave and none is on an NHL roster or has an active contract with a team in the league.
The NHL launched its own investigation in 2022. Officials pledged to release the findings, though Commissioner Gary Bettman said in February that would depend on what the league can say given legal proceedings.
