Five Ex-NHLers Found Not Guilty in 2018 Team Canada Sexual Assault Case
All were found not guilty due to their accuser's evidence being deemed not "credible or reliable."
Five former NHL players — Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foote — have been found not guilty of sexual assault charges stemming from an alleged 2018 sexual assault in a London, Ontario hotel room following a banquet honoring the players' win at the World Junior Championship.
The five players were formally charged last year, and their trial got underway in April and was originally going to be heard by a jury, but they were dismissed, and Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia decided that she would make the ruling on the case.
On Thursday, Judge Carroccia reviewed the evidence and revealed that she felt the evidence presented by the woman who claimed to have been assaulted by the five men — known only as E.M. — was not "credible or reliable."
According to the CBC, there were audible sighs of relief as family members of the charged players in attendance were seen crying.
Five former NHLers — (L to R: Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foot — have been found not guilty on charges related to an alleged sexual assault in 2018.
All five players had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges, while McLeod faced an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault, as the alleged "ringleader" who invited the others to engage in sexual acts with E.M.
Judge Carroccia cited numerous pieces of evidence that went into her decision, including discrepancies in E.M.'s statements that were given to Hockey Canada during their 2022 investigation into the alleged incident and those made at the trial.
The judge also noted that E.M. admitted to filling in gaps in her memory with assumptions.
It remains to be seen what impact this case will have on the careers of these five. Formenton previously revealed in court records that he had "moved on" from hockey and was working in construction.
The other four, however, are still apparently interested in continuing their hockey careers, with McLeod and Dube having signed deals to play in the KHL, while Foote signed a deal in Slovakia last season, though they returned to Canada before the season was over.