Judge rules former Canadian hockey players not guilty of sexual assault

Judge rules former Canadian hockey players not guilty of sexual assault

Following a trial that wracked Canada, a Canadian judge determined that five former World Junior Ice Hockey players were not guilty of sexual assault.

According to Canada’s CBC News, Judge Maria Carroccia told a courtroom on Thursday that she did not believe the five men’s claims of assault to be “credible or reliable.”

The justice system, according to the complainant’s attorney, had failed to account for both the judge’s findings and the way her client was treated on the stand.

Due to a ban on the release of her identity, complainant’s lawyer, Karen Bellehumeur, who is only known as EM, said, “She’s obviously very disappointed with the verdict and very disappointed with Her Honour’s assessment of her honesty and reliability.” She’s never really gone to a place where she wasn’t previously believed.

On July 24, 2025, a complainant is surrounded by graffiti near the Superior Court of Justice in London, Ontario, Canada. [Carlos Osorio/Reuters]

The allegations of misconduct sparked debate about the sexual assault culture in the North American national team’s favorite sport, Canadian hockey. It also attracted attention to the skeptical eye that frequently targets alleged victims.

Gasps erupted in the courtroom as a result of Carroccia’s claim that she had no access to reliable evidence from the woman allegedly assaulted.

The accused, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, and Cal Foote, all five men, have denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the alleged victim, EM, was willing to perform sex acts at a hotel in London, Ontario, in 2018, following a team celebration.

The complainant had failed to show that the encounter had been “vitiated by fear,” the judge appeared to support that claim. When confronted with contradictions in her memory of the night, she added that the woman had a tendency to blame others.

According to McLeod’s attorney, David Humphrey, “Justice Carroccia’s carefully reasoned decision represents a resounding vindication for Mr. McLeod and his co-defendants.”

A single judge delivered a verdict in the trial because two previous juries were disqualified.

Source: Aljazeera

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