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 team on Thursday in their sexual assault case, saying the complainant’s allegations lacked the credibility needed to justify the charges.

Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said 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 19, 2018.

Years of speculation regarding the allegations — fueled by a lawsuit settlement, parliamentary hearings and revived investigations by the police and Hockey Canada, along with an NHL investigation — 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 course of about five hours, highlighting the complainant’s “tendency to blame others” for inconsistencies in her allegations. She also said the woman went to “great lengths” to point out that she was really drunk through the course of the night, but that is not supported by surveillance video from a bar and hotel that night and the testimony of others.