Report: Police have reasonable grounds to believe five 2018 world junior players involved in alleged sexual assault
In a story published by The Globe and Mail’s Robyn Doolittle, police investigators in London, Ont. have grounds to believe that five players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior Championship team sexually assaulted a woman during a Hockey Canada gala.
Doolittle’s story cites a 94-page document that was filed with the Ontario Court of Justice on Oct. 17. The report, which was obtained by the Globe, did not include the names of the players, details of the sex acts or the identity of the alleged victim, who is referred to as E.M.
In the document, the police have cases against each of the alleged players. The evidence has not been tested in court, with no charges laid.
In the court filings, a new revelation details that an older man was seen spending time with the players, providing alcohol, and encouraging the woman to “take care of” a player referred to as “Player 1” in the document. The application also has first-hand accounts of the players’ version of events.
“I believe, when taking a global view of the evidence, [E.M.] subjectively believed that she had no alternative but to engage in the [specific sex act(s)],” said Sergeant David Younan, the application’s writer according to the Globe and Mail. “Further, I believe that each of the suspects knew or ought to have known that [E.M.] had not consented.”
Earlier this year, the E.M. filed a claim against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey league and eight unidentified players. E.M. alleged that she was sexually assaulted in a hotel room in London while intoxicated. The local police investigated the incident but closed the case in early 2019 without pressing chargers. Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum in May of this year.
Since then, there’s been significant blowback against Hockey Canada. Most of the organization’s major national sponsors have either paused or backed out of funding altogether. The group’s existing board of directors and previous CEO Scott Smith all stepped down, with a new board getting elected on Saturday.