Five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team will wait weeks till their destiny of their high-profile sexual assault trial is decided.
Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote have been on trial since late April inside a London, Ont., courtroom – accused of partaking in non-consensual group intercourse with a then-20-year-old lady in June 2018.
All 5 males pleaded not guilty to sexual assault when the trial started on April 22; McLeod additionally pleaded not responsible to an extra cost of being a celebration to the offence of sexual assault.
The roller-coaster trial wrapped up Friday, and Superior Courtroom Justice Maria Carroccia will summon everybody again in July to ship her ruling.
Here’s what unfolded over the eight weeks the trial performed out contained in the courtroom.
Trial noticed 2 juries tossed, marathon questioning of complainant
It initially began as a jury trial, however just some days in, a mistrial was declared out of concern for a tainted jury after a juror accused Hillary Dudding, one among Formenton’s attorneys, of initiating dialog whereas in line for lunch.
Dudding denied this and stated any contact with the juror was inadvertent.
The trial resumed the next week with a brand new jury, and they might go on to watch videos of the complainant, often known as E.M., taken by McLeod, hear from then-teammate Taylor Raddysh a few group-chat screenshot he took capturing the “3 manner” message by McLeod, and hear from E.M. herself.
The now-27-year-old lady, whose identification is protected beneath an ordinary publication ban, was topic to intense cross-examination throughout her 9 days on the stand.
Courtroom heard the staff was in London for occasions marking its gold-medal efficiency at that yr’s championship, and that the complainant was out with buddies after they met at a downtown bar on June 18, 2018.
Get breaking Nationwide information
For information impacting Canada and world wide, join breaking information alerts delivered on to you after they occur.
After being with McLeod and his teammates on the bar, E.M. would go on to have consensual intercourse with McLeod in his room within the early morning hours of June 19. Courtroom has heard that E.M., who testified she was drunk and never of clear thoughts, was within the washroom after she had intercourse with McLeod and got here out to a bunch of males within the room allegedly invited by McLeod within the group chat.
It was then that the Crown alleges a number of sexual acts occurred with out E.M.’s consent.
Defence attorneys have urged E.M. wasn’t as drunk as she has testified she was, needed a “wild night” with the gamers and was “egging” them on to have intercourse along with her, and accused her of getting a “clear agenda” on the trial.
E.M. has pushed again in opposition to these claims and at factors outright rejected them, saying she was coaxed into staying within the room and was disrespected and brought benefit of by the group, who she stated “might see I used to be out of my thoughts.”
After E.M. completed her testimony, then-teammate Tyler Steenbergen took the stand as a Crown witness, however his testimony was halted simply two days in.
Courtroom obtained a be aware from a juror stating they believed Formenton’s attorneys, Dudding and Dan Brown, would “flip to one another and snort as if they’re discussing our look” when the jury was getting into the room.
Carroccia stated she was involved this might influence some jurors’ capability to pretty determine the case and that it might have a chilling impact on the defence attorneys. Brown and Dudding known as the juror’s be aware an “unlucky misinterpretation” and stated “the very thought of counsel making gentle of a juror is illogical and runs straight counter to our function and performance.”
Carroccia would go on to dismiss that jury, and the trial would go on by choose alone.
Only one accused would testify, Crown witness scrutinized
Ultimately, courtroom would go on to listen to from cops concerned within the preliminary case in 2018 – and the renewed case in 2022 – and different gamers from that yr’s staff.
Vegas Golden Knights ahead Brett Howden got here beneath intense questioning throughout his time on the stand, and at one level briefly broke down in tears.
He teared up as he described feeling scared and nervous after studying Hockey Canada had launched an investigation into the encounter and realizing he must clarify the state of affairs to his dad and mom and his girlfriend, now his spouse.
Howden was accused by the Crown of feigning reminiscence loss on particulars that could possibly be damaging to his buddies – which Carroccia dominated was unfounded – and confronted questions in a voir dire over a textual content dialog the Crown needed to introduce as proof resulting from his lack of reminiscence.
That dialog, which Crown prosecutors described as “important,” was not admitted as evidence after Carroccia dominated in opposition to it twice.
Only Hart would testify at the trial, whereas the opposite gamers’ attorneys cited proof and police interviews that have been already performed in courtroom as a part of the the reason why their purchasers have been opting to not testify.
Hart testified partially that E.M. was asking the gamers to have intercourse along with her, and he selected to ask for oral intercourse as a result of he didn’t wish to have intercourse. He stated it was “consensual” and temporary as a result of it was “bizarre.”
Hart would agree with Crown prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham beneath cross-examination that he was “placing a variety of religion in your pal, Mr. McLeod, to set one thing up that was morally acceptable to you.”
Throughout closing submissions, defence attorneys known as the trial “historic” and repeatedly attacked E.M.’s credibility, saying she “created a lie” out of remorse and embarrassment, and that all through the evening, her “communication of consent is overwhelming.”
In the meantime, the Crown urged the choose to convict the boys, with prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham arguing the boys have been “reckless” for partaking in group intercourse with E.M. and never searching for her affirmative consent.
Cunningham stated E.M. is a credible witness as a result of she was abundantly honest within the trial, clear and concise, not resentful and confirmatory. She argued many defence submissions on E.M.’s behaviour are primarily based on assumptions about how somebody in her state of affairs would act.
Courtroom will resume at on July 24, when Carroccia will ship her ruling.
© 2025 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
