Hockey Canada Player Trial: All 5 Acquitted
Hockey Canada Scandal: All Charges Dropped in Sexual Assault Case Against Five Players
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London, ON - Justice Maria Carroccia delivered a decisive verdict on Thursday, acquitting all five players accused in a high-profile sexual assault case stemming from a 2018 Hockey Canada event. The ruling, made nearly six weeks after legal arguments concluded and seven years after the initial report, found the key witness’s evidence to be neither “credible nor reliable.”
Acquittal Based on Witness Credibility
Justice Carroccia stated that her inability to rely on the evidence presented by the complainant, identified as E.M., led to the conclusion that the crown could not meet its burden of proof on any of the charges. “Having found that I cannot rely upon the evidence of E.M. and than considering the evidence in this trial as a whole, I conclude that the crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me,” Carroccia announced.
The allegations centered on an incident that occurred in the early morning hours of June 19, 2018, after E.M. met player Alex Formenton at a London bar. According to E.M.’s testimony, after consensual sexual activity with Formenton at his hotel, Formenton invited teammates into his room for further sexual activity without her knowledge or consent.
Details of the Allegations and Defense Arguments
During her testimony,E.M. detailed a series of alleged sexual acts she felt pressured to perform with multiple players, including Formenton, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart, and Taylor MacLeod. She also described physical contact, including being slapped and having a player perform a split over her.
The Crown argued that E.M. did not voluntarily consent to the subsequent sexual activity, portraying the situation as highly stressful and unpredictable, leading to fear and a dissociative response. E.M. described feeling vulnerable and going on “autopilot” to cope with the presence of multiple strangers in the room.
Conversely, the defense teams consistently challenged E.M.’s credibility, suggesting she was the instigator of the group sexual encounter and had encouraged Formenton to invite his teammates back to the hotel for a “wild night.”
Broader Impact and Hockey Canada’s Response
The allegations first gained public attention in May 2022, when TSN reported that Hockey Canada had settled a civil lawsuit with E.M. This revelation triggered a wider reckoning for the organization. Subsequent reporting by The Globe and Mail uncovered past practices of using registration fees to settle sexual abuse allegations. This led to the resignation of Hockey Canada’s CEO and board of directors, as well as the withdrawal of major sponsors. The 2022 World Junior Championships in Edmonton were notably held without corporate sponsorship.
While no charges were laid after the initial police examination, a renewed probe resulted in sexual assault charges being filed against five players in January 2024. Taylor MacLeod faced an additional charge of sexual assault for allegedly being a party to the offense.
The Crown has not yet indicated whether it plans to appeal Justice carroccia’s ruling.(Courtroom sketch of Justice Maria carroccia and some of the defendants from earlier during the Hockey Canada sexual assault by Alexandra Newbould / The Canadian Press via AP)