Hockey Canada players’ sex assault trial: Complainant to face more cross-examination

Defence lawyers representing five former members of Canada’s World Junior Hockey team are set to continue cross-examining the complainant (identified as E.M.) on Monday, May 12, in the high-profile sexual assault trial.

The woman, whose identity is protected under a publication ban, first testified on May 2 and has spent several days responding to intense questioning from the defence.

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On Friday (May 9), she strongly rejected the suggestion from the defence lawyer that her feelings of shame and embarrassment were from the choices she made on the night of the alleged assault.

She told the court that while she had chosen to drink and dance at a bar in London, Ontario — where she first met some of the accused — that did not mean she consented to what happened later at the hotel. “I didn’t choose for them to do what they did back at the hotel,” she said.

Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Callan Foote have all pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault in connection with the alleged incident, which took place in the early hours of June 19, 2018, at the Delta hotel in London.

McLeod, who had consensual sex with the complainant, also faces an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault and has pleaded not guilty to that charge as well.

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The trial continues in London, Ontario, with further testimonies expected in the coming weeks.

This trial is part of a broader investigation into Hockey Canada's handling of sexual assault cases, which includes a 2022 report unveiling that the organization had paid settlements in multiple cases using funds partially sourced from player registration fees.