Police: New info reopened hockey assault case
-
Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
LONDON, Ontario — The London Police Service cited a discovery of new evidence for reopening an investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving five players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior hockey team.
Chief Thai Truong and Detective Sgt. Katherine Dann of the LPS’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Section met with the media Monday to provide details on where the case stands after charges were formally laid nearly six years after the original complaint in June 2018.
Truong confirmed that Philadelphia’s Carter Hart, Calgary’s Dillon Dube, New Jersey’s Cal Foote and Michael McLeod, and former Ottawa Senator Alex Formenton (who has played recently in Switzerland) surrendered to London police over the past week to be charged with sexual assault. Hart, Dube, Foote and Formenton were each charged with a count of sexual assault, and McLeod faced a second charge of “being a party to the offense.”
In his opening remarks, Truong said there were “insufficient grounds” after the first investigation to bring charges in the case, which was closed in February 2019. He then apologized to the woman who filed the original complaint that it “took so long to reach this point” and said she had fully cooperated with police from the start of their inquiries.
“I want to extend on behalf of the London Police service my sincerest apology to the victim, to her family for the amount of time that it has taken to reach this point,” Truong said.
“This should not take this long. It shouldn’t take years and years for us to arrive to the outcome of today,” he added. “But I can assure you, I am confident, confident that this will not happen again.”
Neither Truong nor Dann spearheaded the first investigation, but Dann was asked to launch a new inquest in July 2022.
“Upon review of the [initial] occurrence, it was determined that there were additional steps that could be taken to advance the investigation,” Dann said. “When the case was reopened in 2022, our team explored investigative opportunities in addition to the [original] team investigation. Those leads were followed, and additional witnesses were spoken to, and we collected more evidence.”
Dann also read a statement from the woman’s representatives, stating that, “It takes an incredible amount of courage for any survivor of sexual assault to report to the police and participate in the criminal justice system. That is certainly true for E.M. Yet she remains committed to seeing this process through. We simply ask that the media and others respect her privacy and her dignity as this matter proceeds through the court process.”
The woman has been identified only as E.M. in court documents.
Truong said the London Police were encouraged to reexplore the case in part based on the local community facilitating those new leads. He would not answer whether the newly found evidence was available to the investigators in 2018 or was entirely fresh.
“This is one investigation, not two,” Truong said, “with the evidence that was collected in 2018 and 2019 used in combination with newly gathered evidence to form reasonable probable grounds to charge these five individuals with sexual assault.”
Truong refused to explain why it took six years for the London Police to bring these charges.
“Why it took so long will form part of the proceedings,” Truong said.
The alleged sexual assault took place on June 18, 2018, after a Hockey Canada banquet in London that featured players from Canada’s gold medal World Junior hockey team. Both Hockey Canada — the sport’s national governing body — and the London police were informed of the alleged incident when it occurred, and both entities launched investigations. Hockey Canada closed its inquiry in September 2020.
The woman subsequently filed a $3.55 million lawsuit in April 2022 against Hockey Canada and eight players she said to be involved; Hockey Canada quickly reached an out-of-court settlement with the woman, details of which were never made public.
In her court filing, the victim referenced being allegedly assaulted by eight individuals. Only five individuals have been charged, and there is no indication any more charges will be brought.
“We have laid changes for all the parties that we have reasonable grounds for,” Dann said. “We had varying levels of participation [in speaking with other members of the 2018 world junior team], but I won’t provide specifics on who cooperated.”
Dann did clarify that McLeod is facing a second charge related to the behavior of someone else involved in the alleged assault. She also said there has been no contact between her department and the NHL over the last several months.
Both Truong and Dann repeatedly assured the public it would provide more answers on the case after judicial proceedings were completed.
The assault case has now been adjourned until April 30 following a video conference on Monday with a justice of the peace and lawyers representing the accused. None of the players were present for Monday’s meeting, where no charges were read and no pleas were entered.
Lawyers for each of the accused previously released statements stating their clients would defend themselves against the allegations.
During Monday’s hearing, prosecutors obtained an order protecting the identity of the woman and of two witnesses in the case. Assistant Crown attorney Heather Donkers also told lawyers they would receive “substantial disclosure” from London Police over the next few days.
The NHL did not learn about the alleged incident until May 2022, and did its own investigation into the matter thereafter. League commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters on Friday that the NHL spoke with every player from the 2018 World Junior team as part of their work, but the woman involved in the case refused to speak with them. Bettman said the NHL will not release their findings until after the criminal court proceedings have finished.
All five players who were charged took leaves of absence from their respective teams last month after London police ordered their surrender. They, along with all 22 members of Canada’s 2018 team, were suspended from Hockey Canada activities on March 23, 2023. That ban will remain in place until Hockey Canada’s investigation into the alleged sexual assault is completed. The findings are currently under appeal.
The Devils, Flyers and Flames will all receive salary cap relief for their respective players, an NHL source told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski on Monday. Bettman said Dube, Foote, Hart and McLeod are all still being paid while away from their teams and didn’t anticipate they would be suspended without pay or have their contracts terminated before the end of the season, when all four become restricted free agents.
-
Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Notre Dame‘s Marcus Freeman and Penn State‘s James Franklin are aware they are on the brink of making history in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday.
The winner will become the first Black head coach to take a team to the national championship game. Both were asked about that possibility during their respective news conferences Saturday previewing their matchup.
Franklin said it reminded him of Super Bowl XLI between Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith in 2007, the first Super Bowl featuring Black head coaches. Franklin was the offensive coordinator at Kansas State at the time, coaching for Ron Prince, another Black head coach.
“I remember thinking that, as a coach, how significant that was in the profession, and how significant that was for young coaches coming up in the profession, to see those guys in that role,” Franklin said. “I also remember, at that time, there were a lot of conversations about, ‘Will this impact the profession? Will this impact opportunities for guys?'”
At the time, there were six Black head coaches in college football, Franklin said. There are now 16 head coaches in 134 FBS programs, something Franklin described as progress.
“I know some people will say, ‘Well, that that’s not a huge increase,’ but it is an increase,” Franklin said. “At the end of the day, does this create opportunities for more guys to get in front of athletic directors? Does this create opportunities for search firms? I hope so. I think at the end of the day, you just want an opportunity, and you want to be able to earn it through your work and through your actions. I take a lot of pride in it.”
When Freeman was asked, he made sure to note that he is also half-Korean, a nod to his mother. But he also understands the significance of the moment.
“It’s a reminder that you are a representation for so many others that look like you, and I don’t take that for granted,” Freeman said. “I’m going to work tirelessly to be the best version of me, and it’s great, because even the guys in our program can understand, ‘Don’t put a ceiling on what you can be and what you can do.’
“Now, with that being said, it’s not about me. It’s about us. More than anything, I want to achieve team glory with this program.”
Freeman was also asked how he can inspire other young coaches who are watching him on this stage.
“If you want to impact the young people in this profession, you probably should do things to help them, and those are things that maybe after the season I could focus on trying to do,” Freeman said. “I want to be a representation. But that’s not enough. If you want to truly help some people, then you got to be one to make decisions and actions that truly help people.”
Franklin said he is honored to be in position to coach against Freeman in the semifinal.
“I’m honored to be able to compete against Notre Dame. Most importantly, I’m honored to represent Penn State and the young men in that locker room,” Franklin said. “For me to sit here and say that it’s not important, it’s not significant, that would not be accurate.”
-
Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Penn State All-American defensive end Abdul Carter is working back from an apparent left arm injury, and while coach James Franklin said it’s “too early” to determine Carter’s status for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame, there’s optimism about his return.
“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything stopping him from playing, but it’s going to come down to, how is he able to play?” Franklin said Saturday. “We’ll see. But his mentality is great. He’s excited about this week, but it’s too early to say at this stage.”
Carter left the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl against Boise State on Tuesday in the first quarter, not recording any statistics before exiting and not returning. No. 6 seed Penn State won 31-14 to advance to the Capital One Orange Bowl, where it will face No. 7 seed Notre Dame on Thursday night.
Carter, 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, became Penn State’s first consensus All-America selection since Saquon Barkley in 2017. He also was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. lists Carter as the No. 2 prospect for the 2025 NFL draft, behind Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado.
Carter posted a social media message Tuesday of Darth Vader in a bacta tank from the movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” indicating his recovery process from the injury.
“He’s doing great. His attitude is great. His mentality has been really good,” Franklin said. “We’ll see, but he’s taken the right approach and mentality, and it’s really going to come down to how he feels and how much practice he’s going to get during the week.”
Franklin does not usually provide injury updates about players who are not out for the season but understands the attention around Carter, who leads Penn State in sacks (11) and tackles for loss (21.5) and ranks second in quarterback hurries (8) and fourth in total tackles (63). A Philadelphia native, Carter moved from linebacker to defensive end this season under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen. He has 22 career sacks, 37.5 tackles for loss, 5 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 13 passes defended.
Penn State players are off Saturday before returning to practice Sunday.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway