Five Canadian ice hockey players accused a woman of sexual harassment, acquitted by a Judge of an Ontario on Thursday by a Judge.
In a packed court room, Justice Maria Karokia reviewed the testimony and evidence from the eight -week testing of highly promoted eight weeks during several hours, before not convicting men.
Former players of Canadian World Junior Hockey Team were accused of attacking a woman known as EM in 2018 in London, Ontario, where they attended Hockey Canada Gala.
Justice Karokia said that he did not find the evidence of EM “reliable or reliable”. He said that “Crown cannot complete his onos on any count in front of me”.
The central issue of the test was whether M, who was 20 years old, agreed to every sexual act in the room that night.
Players’ lawyers argued that they asked men to have sex with him and believed that he had agreed.
Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Fute, Alex Forton and Carter were all players with the Heart National Hockey League (NHL), when the allegations were revealed, although one was playing in Europe. Only one, Mr. Hart, testified in his defense.
The test attracted significant attention in Canada, and so many people attended court on Thursday to listen to the verdict that clerks had to open two additional overflow rooms.
Explaining his decision, Justice Karokia pointed to discrepancies in EM’s testimony, in which the drinks were purchased that night, and the EM’s statements reflected a “uncertain memory”, which was not in line with evidence presented in the test.
The judge said that the woman distinguished between the police investigators and hockey Canada, who prosecuted C $ 3.5M ($ 2.5m; £ 1.9m) for an unknown amount in 2022, as well, the judge said.
Two video tests of the incident were shared, where the EM was recorded agreed to activities. The first was taken without his knowledge.
Whereas, under the Canadian law, the video did not agree, the judge said that he “speaking normally, showing” smiling “, and she” didn’t appear in trouble. ” He said that Crown’s argument was reduced that M did not leave the room out of fear, he said.
It is not clear whether the crown would appeal to the ruling, the prosecutor Meghan Cunningham said in a statement that he would carefully review the decision. He also said that he had received “dozens of messages from Canada and abroad” thanks and supporting him to EM.
“A successful prosecution is not just measured whether there are guilty decisions at the end,” he said. “During this action the Crown goal is a fair test, a test that is appropriate for men, and one which is also appropriate them.”
Throughout the test, Crown argued that the woman’s testimony was reliable, “there is no drug equality” and that any incompatibility in her testimony was minor.
She also argued that the woman did not have the aim of making a story and she initially reported the alleged attack to the police in 2018, four years before the case was filed against Hockey Canada.
He said that the text messages were reportedly shown among the players that it was the idea of Mr. McLeod to invite his comrades to the room and the players allegedly drafted a legend in “getting their story directly” that M had agreed to all sexual activities.
However, defense lawyers argued that EM’s testimony was reduced by eyewitness evidence, with other players who were in the hotel room that night, but were not alleged that she was “vocal” what she wanted sexually.
He said the evidence suggested that the woman was an interested participant, who later experienced regrets, and said that in this case the intoxication was not equal to “disability”, while presenting video evidence, suggesting that she was not shown signs of extreme intoxication.
