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 group on Thursday in their sexual assault event saying the complainant s accusations lacked the credibility needed to justify the charges Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia noted 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 Years of speculation regarding the statements fueled by a lawsuit settlement parliamentary hearings and revived investigations by the police and Hockey Canada along with an NHL analysis 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 program of about five hours highlighting the complainant s tendency to blame others for inconsistencies in her assertions She also explained the woman went to great lengths to point out that she was really drunk through the unit of the night but that is not supported by surveillance video from a bar and hotel that night and the testimony of others McLeod was also acquitted and pleaded not guilty on a separate count of being a party to the offense an extraordinary application of a charge that is more typically seen in murder cases The players who are now between the ages of and were in London at the time for a gala and golf tournament marking their championship accomplishment They walked out of the courthouse surrounded by family members following the verdict Their lawyers called the outcome a resounding vindication Karen Bellehumeur the woman s lawyer communicated reporters outside the courthouse that her client was devastated She s really never experienced not being concluded like this before Bellehumeur mentioned She agreed to do everything appealed of her by the criminal justice system She spoke to the police whenever requested she reviewed her evidence she prepared her testimony she answered every question she spoke with intelligence and from her heart yet it was not enough Prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham thanked the complainant for coming forward adding that her company will rigorously review the judge s decision while it s still within the -day appeal period The woman testified in May that she was naked drunk and scared when four of the men evidenced up unexpectedly in her room at the Delta Hotel London Armouries and felt the only safe option was to do what they craved Prosecutors argued the players did what they requested without taking moves to ensure she was voluntarily consenting to sexual acts I made the choice to dance with them and drink at the bar I did not make the choice to have them do what they did back at the hotel she testified Defense attorneys cross-examined her for days and suggested she actively participated in or initiated sexual activity because she wished a wild night Two short videos of the complainant taken by McLeod the night of the encounter were played in court In one the woman says it was all consensual though she reported the court that wasn t how she truly felt Protesters gathered outside a packed London courthouse on Thursday morning holding signs that signaled advocacy for the complainant whose identity was not disclosed throughout the trial under Canadian law The residents didn t learn of the statements for years Police closed their initial inquiry without charges in early but the complainant sued Hockey Canada in The organization settled the lawsuit amid intense scrutiny that cost it sponsors but police reopened their probe The players identities were made masses when they were charged in early At the time four of them played in the NHL Dube for the Calgary Flames Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers and McLeod and Foote for the New Jersey Devils Formenton had previously played for the Ottawa Senators before joining a Swiss group All went on indefinite leave and none is on an NHL roster or has an advancing contract with a squad in the league The NHL launched its own analysis in Officers pledged to release the findings though Commissioner Gary Bettman revealed in February that would depend on what the league can say given legal proceedings AP hockey https apnews com hub hockey