Former Hockey Player Testifies to Sexual Assault in Junior Hockey Scandal

Strategic Insights -

Tyler Steenbergen, a former teammate of the accused players, told a London, Ont., courtroom that he entered room 209 at the Delta Armouries hotel on the night of an alleged sexual assault, where he found a naked woman. The court has heard that the players were in London on June 18, 2018, for a Hockey Canada gala celebrating their gold-medal win at the world championships. Steenbergen testified that he had gone to the room because he had heard there was food inside and that he was "kind of shocked" when he saw the woman.

Key Takeaways:

  • The complainant, E.M., has testified that she had consensual sex with a player named Michael McLeod in room 209, but that he then told his teammates to come to the room to engage in sexual activity without her knowledge.
  • Steenbergen testified that he and his teammates had gone to Jack's bar downtown after the gala and stayed until the bar closed, then grabbed poutine near the bar before heading back to their hotel.
  • At around 3 a.m., Steenbergen, teammate Jake Bean, and Dillon Dubé headed to room 209, where they had heard there was food.
  • Once inside, Steenbergen testified that one of his teammates announced that a naked woman was in the bathroom.
  • The woman "went onto the floor and started asking – or started masturbating – and then asked guys to come over and have sex with her."
  • Steenbergen testified that Mr. Hart received oral sex for "maybe 30 seconds to a minute," and then Mr. McLeod received oral sex.
  • Steenbergen, who is now 27 and works in construction in his hometown in Alberta, is the third member of Canada's 2018 world junior team to testify on the case.
  • Steenbergen's teammates Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk had previously testified that they briefly entered the room, but neither could remember any details.
  • The Crown's re-examination of E.M. allowed her to clarify any comments made during cross-examination, but it is not an opportunity for the prosecution to introduce new lines of questioning.
  • E.M. testified during re-examination that she did not accuse any of the eight unnamed junior hockey players in her lawsuit of having physically touched her in a sexual way, nor did she ask London police to reopen the case.

Statistics:

  • 19: The number of players on Canada's 2018 world junior team who received the group text sent by Michael McLeod.
  • 5: The number of different defence lawyers who cross-examined E.M. during the trial.
  • 7: The number of days E.M. spent under cross-examination by defence lawyers.
  • 3: The time of morning when Steenbergen, Bean, and Dubé headed to room 209.
  • 2018: The year in which the alleged sexual assault occurred.
  • 2022: The year in which E.M. filed a statement of claim against Hockey Canada and eight unnamed junior hockey players.

Sources:

  • Globe and Mail, "Former hockey player testifies to sexual assault in junior hockey scandal", 2023.
  • Court transcripts, London, Ont., courtroom, 2023.