All five Canadian world junior players in sexual assault case found not guilty

Justice Maria Carroccia has announced that all five players from the 2018 Canadian world junior team accused of sexual assault have been found not guilty.

Former NHLers Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Carter Hart all faced one count of sexual assault, while Michael McLeod faced two. Hart was the first player to be deemed not guilty, followed by Formenton, Foote, Dubé and, finally, McLeod.

Earlier in the day, Carroccia said she did not find the complainant, only known as E.M., to be “credible or reliable.” She also said that, “The Crown cannot meet the onus on any of the counts before me,” adding, “in this case, I have found actual consent not vitiated by fear.”

Carroccia explained that she had concerns with E.M.’s testimony, noting inconsistencies involving certain details.

Four of the five players were active NHLers as recently as the 2023-24 season. Dube and McLeod played in the KHL this season, while Foote played in Slovakia. Formenton and Hart have not played since being charged last year. Formenton last played in the NHL in 2022 with the Ottawa Senators before signing in Switzerland. All five players were left unsigned by their respective NHL clubs and are currently free agents.

In June of 2018, the accused were in London, Ont., to celebrate Canada’s 2018 World Junior gold medal win. After the Hockey Canada event, members of the team attended a bar in downtown London, where they met the alleged victim (only known as E.M. due to a publication ban). The alleged assault took place in a hotel room in London.

In April of 2022, the alleged victim filed a statement of claim, seeking $3.55 million in damages from Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and eight players who were unnamed at the time. Hockey Canada would go on to settle the lawsuit the following month for an undisclosed amount out of court.

All five players pleaded not guilty when the trial began on April 22.

Both juries for the trial had been dismissed as a result of juror complaints about the defense counsel’s behavior. The first was dismissed days into the trial after Justice Carroccia declared a mistrial due to alleged improper communications between one of the defense attorneys and a juror on a lunch break. The second was dismissed weeks later because the jurors felt a bias toward the defense lawyers, claiming they had insulted them in court.