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Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia has acquitted all five players involved in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial.

Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote had all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in an encounter that took place in a London, Ont., hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018.

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[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 23 points 1 week ago

I'll admit I wanted to be outraged at the not guilty verdicts, but then there is this which reduces the victims credibility, which doesn't mean assault didn't happen but it causes doubt:

Some of the complainant’s testimony was proven to be wrong by video evidence, the judge says.

For example, E.M. testified that she felt isolated at the bar, that she tried to sneak away but was followed, the judge said. But video shows she had an extended conversation with a bouncer while there, whom she said was a friend.

E.M. also said she was completely out of it when she arrived at the hotel, the judge recounted. However, she added, video showed E.M. exiting the cab, checking her phone, and walking up the stairs without difficulty.

[-] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 18 points 1 week ago

This has unfortunately been the case in sexual assault cases since...forever, really.

There are almost never any witnesses, human memory is fallible, alcohol is sometimes a factor...the justice system is not well-equipped to handle it.

[-] anotherandrew@lemmy.mixdown.ca 3 points 1 week ago

… not equipped to handle what, exactly?

Sexual assault is a pretty serious charge, and it appears in this case that the alleged victim seriously damaged her own credibility on several claims. I fully admit to not knowing a lot of this specific case but it sure seems like the justice system prevailed in upholding justice given the facts we have.

[-] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago

Our court systems are setup to require "beyond reasonable doubt" but sexual assault cases struggle to meet that threshold anytime there is even a little bit of grey area, then they also struggle on the defendants side when it comes to reputational loss.

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this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2025
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