An Ontario court has acquitted five former Canadian junior ice hockey players of all charges relating to a 2018 sexual assault allegation, concluding a closely watched trial that has gripped the nation for weeks.
In a courtroom filled beyond capacity, Justice Maria Carroccia delivered her ruling on Thursday, stating she did not find the complainant’s evidence “credible or reliable”. She added that “the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me”.
The players — Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Carter Hart — were accused of sexually assaulting a woman, referred to as EM, in a hotel room in London, Ontario, following a Hockey Canada gala in 2018. At the time, all five were members of Canada’s world junior team and later went on to play professionally, mostly in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The central question in the eight-week trial was whether EM, then 20 years old, had consented to each sexual act that occurred during the night in question. The defence maintained that she initiated the encounter and the players believed she had given consent. Only one of the accused, Carter Hart, took the stand in his own defence.
Justice Carroccia pointed to several inconsistencies in EM’s testimony, including contradictions about who purchased drinks and discrepancies between statements given to police and those made to Hockey Canada investigators. The judge said EM’s account reflected an “uncertain memory” that did not align with other evidence presented at trial.
The case, which prompted a national reckoning in Canadian sport, first came to widespread attention after Hockey Canada settled a civil lawsuit in 2022 with the woman for C\$3.5 million. That settlement sparked public outrage and led to a series of investigations and reforms within the organisation.
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