Verdict date revealed for Hockey Canada sexual assault trial; defense accuses E.M. of "lying under oath"

The trial for five former Hockey Canada World Junior players, which began in late April, proceeded on Tuesday at the Ontario Superior Court in London.

Justice Maria Carroccia announced that she will deliver her verdict on July 24. Meanwhile, attorneys for the defendants presented their final arguments. Lisa Carnelos, representing Dillon Dube, one of the players involved in the case, argued that the complainant, referred to as E.M., lacks credibility due to inconsistencies in her recollection.

Dan Brown, counsel for Alex Forementon, emphasized E.M.'s level of inebriation and suggested she fabricated her account, possibly motivated by the prospect of a monetary settlement.

He alleged that E.M. adjusted her story after seeing conflicting messages and deliberately misrepresented her weight (claiming 120 pounds, later admitting 138) and a fall at Jack's bar in her 2022 Hockey Canada statement, which she corrected in cross-examination.

Brown also accused E.M. of lying under oath.

"She didn’t just get things wrong,” Brown said. “She lied under oath," Brown said via Athletic."

Notably, the prosecution will have the opportunity to counter these defense claims in its closing statements. All five accused individuals—Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Cal Foote, Dillon Dube, and Alex Forementon—have entered not guilty pleas regarding the alleged sexual assault that took place at a hotel in June 2018.

The woman, identified as E.M. for privacy reasons, alleges that she was sexually assaulted by the named hockey players. The alleged assault is said to have taken place in a hotel room in London, Ontario, during a Hockey Canada event celebrating the team's 2018 World Junior Championship gold medal victory.

E.M. testifies to feeling drunk and pressured by players in alleged Hockey Canada suxual assault

According to a report from The Athletic, E.M. testified that she felt intoxicated, scared, and defenseless in a hotel room surrounded by players who loomed over her, urging her to engage in sexual activities.

She described entering the state of detachment, functioning mechanically to endure the night, and feeling degraded, shamed, and physically struck. Meanwhile, Brown acknowledged that E.M. was moderately impaired but argued she was not too intoxicated to give consent.

He backed his claim with evidence generated from surveillance footage from Jack's bar as well as personal videos recorded by McLeod in the hotel room, asserting that these did not show a clear sign of severe drunkenness or impaired motor skills.