No evidence heard at sexual assault trial for ex-world junior hockey players in London, Ont.

The trial of five former world junior hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room in 2018 continued on Thursday without any evidence being heard. Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, and Alex Formenton are each facing one count of sexual assault, with McLeod facing an additional count of being a party to an offense. All five players have maintained their innocence.

The identity of the complainant, known in court as E.M., is protected by a publication ban as is standard in sexual assault cases. A jury was selected on Tuesday for this highly anticipated case. On Wednesday morning, the jurors received instructions from the judge and heard the Crown’s opening statements before being dismissed for the day as legal discussions took place.

Thursday’s proceedings were dominated by arguments without the jury present, as is customary in such cases. Details of these discussions are subject to a mandatory publication ban. The trial has garnered significant attention, with all five players present in court each day this week.

At the time the charges were laid, McLeod and Foote were playing for the New Jersey Devils, Dubé was with the Calgary Flames, and Hart was part of the Philadelphia Flyers. Formenton, on the other hand, was signed by the Ottawa Senators but was playing in Switzerland at the time. While Foote and Hart are not currently active in the sport, McLeod and Dubé are playing for Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) teams. Formenton has reportedly been working in construction in Barrie, Ont.

The alleged incident took place in the summer of 2018 at a London hotel following a gala celebrating the world junior hockey team’s gold-medal win earlier that year. The trial is expected to resume on Friday morning as the legal proceedings continue.