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Hockey

Crown Drops Appeal in High-Profile Hockey Canada Assault Case

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A legal saga that has gripped the country for over three years has finally come to an end, with the Crown deciding not to appeal the verdict in the trial of five hockey players accused of sexual assault. The players, all former members of the 2018 world junior team, were found not guilty in a two-month trial last month. The decision not to appeal brings to an end a controversy that put Canada's national winter sport under scrutiny and raised questions about cultural problems within the game.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Crown has decided not to appeal the verdict in the trial of five hockey players accused of sexual assault, effectively ending a three-year-long legal saga.
  • The five players, all former members of the 2018 world junior team, were found not guilty in a two-month trial last month.
  • The complainant, E.M., alleged that the players assaulted her in a London hotel room in June 2018, after she met them at a bar earlier that evening.
  • E.M. said she consented to sex with Michael McLeod but alleged he later invited other players to the room without her consent, who then took turns assaulting her.
  • Defence lawyers challenged E.M.'s recollections during cross-examination, highlighting inconsistencies between her previous statements and her testimony at trial.
  • Justice Maria Carroccia pointed to these inconsistencies in making her ruling, stating that she could not rely on E.M.'s evidence.
  • The Crown had sought to admit evidence contained in statements the players made to Hockey Canada during its own investigation, but those records were deemed inadmissible.
  • The allegations became public in 2022 after Hockey Canada settled a civil lawsuit with E.M. on behalf of the organization and the players.
  • The lawsuit was filed for $3.55-million, but the settlement amount remains unknown.

Statistics:

  • 2018: The year in which the alleged assault took place.
  • 7: The number of years since the alleged assault occurred that witnesses were challenged to remember details.
  • 91: The number of pages in Justice Carroccia's verdict, which took over four hours to read aloud in court.
  • $3.55-million: The amount for which E.M. filed a civil lawsuit against Hockey Canada.
  • $2.85-million: The amount that Hockey Canada paid in legal settlements during its 2021-22 fiscal year.

Sources:

  • The Globe and Mail
  • E.M.'s civil lawsuit against Hockey Canada
  • Hockey Canada's financial statements

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