Judge acquits 5 former Canadian junior hockey players in sexual assault case that rattled the nation

LONDON Ontario AP An Ontario judge acquitted five former members of Canada s world junior hockey organization on Thursday in their sexual assault event saying the complainant s assertions lacked the credibility needed to justify the charges Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia declared prosecutors could not meet the onus of proof for the charges against Michael McLeod Carter Hart Alex Formenton Dillon Dube and Callan Foote All five players had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in an encounter that took place in a London Ontario hotel room in the early hours of June Years of speculation regarding the charges fueled by a lawsuit settlement parliamentary hearings and revived investigations by the police and Hockey Canada along with an NHL inspection all preceded a complex trial earlier this year that included a mistrial and the dismissal of the jury leaving the verdict to Carroccia Carroccia explained her reasoning for the acquittals in detail over the syllabus of about five hours highlighting the complainant s tendency to blame others for inconsistencies in her accusations She also stated the woman went to great lengths to point out that she was really drunk through the lesson of the night but that is not supported by surveillance video from a bar and hotel that night and the testimony of others McLeod was also acquitted and pleaded not guilty on a separate count of being a party to the offense an strange application of a charge that is more typically seen in murder cases The players who are now between the ages of and were in London at the time for a gala and golf tournament marking their championship conquest They walked out of the courthouse surrounded by family members following the verdict Their lawyers called the outcome a resounding vindication Karen Bellehumeur the woman s lawyer advised reporters outside the courthouse that her client was devastated She s really never experienced not being supposed like this before Bellehumeur mentioned She agreed to do everything inquired of her by the criminal justice system She spoke to the police whenever requested she reviewed her evidence she prepared her testimony she answered every question she spoke with intelligence and from her heart yet it was not enough Prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham thanked the complainant for coming forward adding that her band will meticulously review the judge s decision while it s still within the -day appeal period The woman testified in May that she was naked drunk and scared when four of the men revealed up unexpectedly in her room at the Delta Hotel London Armouries and felt the only safe option was to do what they longed Prosecutors argued the players did what they needed without taking strategies to ensure she was voluntarily consenting to sexual acts I made the choice to dance with them and drink at the bar I did not make the choice to have them do what they did back at the hotel she testified Defense attorneys cross-examined her for days and suggested she actively participated in or initiated sexual activity because she wished a wild night Two short videos of the complainant taken by McLeod the night of the encounter were played in court In one the woman says it was all consensual though she advised the court that wasn t how she truly felt Protesters gathered outside a packed London courthouse on Thursday morning holding signs that signaled assistance for the complainant whose identity was not disclosed throughout the trial under Canadian law The residents didn t learn of the claims for years Police closed their initial scrutiny without charges in early but the complainant sued Hockey Canada in The organization settled the lawsuit amid intense scrutiny that cost it sponsors but police reopened their inquiry The players identities were made population when they were charged in early At the time four of them played in the NHL Dube for the Calgary Flames Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers and McLeod and Foote for the New Jersey Devils Formenton had previously played for the Ottawa Senators before joining a Swiss company All went on indefinite leave and none is on an NHL roster or has an advancing contract with a crew in the league The NHL launched its own inquiry in Functionaries pledged to release the findings though Commissioner Gary Bettman stated in February that would depend on what the league can say given legal proceedings AP hockey https apnews com hub hockey