Judge Maria Carroccia began reading her judgment in the case of the five hockey players in the 2018 edition of team Canada Junior accused of sexual assault on Thursday at the London courthouse.
According to the media on the spot, Judge Carroccia considered that the complainant was “neither credible nor reliable” and noted inconsistencies in her testimony. She also said that she believes that the complainant’s consent – a concept at the heart of this case – had “not been influenced by fear”.
Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Fote are accused in a case dates back to June 2018. The complainant, appointed by the initials EM, claimed to have been sexually assaulted after a party organized by Hockey Canada in London, to highlight the conquest of the gold medal five months earlier in the junior world championship.
The five players are accused of sexual assault. A sixth accusation – complicity in sexual assault – was also deposited against McLeod.
This affair, discovered in 2022, caused a scandal at Hockey Canada and generated attention at the national level. Thursday morning, the players were also heckled by a hundred demonstrators when they arrived at the London courthouse, according to Sean Gentil, a journalist of The Athletic On site.
Details to come.