Saturday, February 21, 2026
ADVT 
National

Defence lawyers continue submissions at hockey players' sex assault trial

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Jun, 2025 11:30 AM
  • Defence lawyers continue submissions at hockey players' sex assault trial

Defence lawyers for five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team are continuing to hammer at the credibility of the complainant as they make final submissions at the players' sexual assault trial.

A lawyer representing Alex Formenton is arguing that video evidence from the bar where the woman first encountered several of the players contradicts her testimony that she was plied with alcohol and separated from her friends, and that she was extremely intoxicated.

Daniel Brown has repeatedly argued the woman lied or embellished in her testimony, and that her account of what happened evolved over time.

Court heard submissions Monday from lawyers representing Michael McLeod and Carter Hart. 

McLeod's lawyer, David Humphrey, argued the complainant has presented an "entirely unbelievable and unreliable" version of the events at the heart of the trial.

McLeod, Hart, Formenton and their former teammates Dillon Dube and Callan Foote have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault

McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

The charges relate to an encounter with a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room in June 2018, at a time when many of the team's members were in town for events celebrating their championship win.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nicole Osborne

MORE National ARTICLES

Google exempt from Online News Act for five years, must pay news outlets $100M: CRTC

Google exempt from Online News Act for five years, must pay news outlets $100M: CRTC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has granted Google a five-year exemption from the Online News Act, ordering it to release the $100 million it now owes to Canadian news outlets within 60 days. Google agreed last year to pay Canadian news publishers $100 million a year, indexed to inflation, in order to be exempt from the law, which compels tech companies to enter into agreements with news publishers to pay for content reposted on their platforms.

Google exempt from Online News Act for five years, must pay news outlets $100M: CRTC

'Nobody wants to blow up the party': Trudeau staying, despite resignation calls

'Nobody wants to blow up the party': Trudeau staying, despite resignation calls
Several Liberal MPs are calling for a secret ballot vote on Justin Trudeau's leadership after he made clear he isn't going anywhere in spite of the calls from within his caucus to step down.  Two dozen members of caucus signed a letter that gave Trudeau until Monday to respond to their demand for his resignation as party leader.

'Nobody wants to blow up the party': Trudeau staying, despite resignation calls

Coast guard's North Pacific patrol uncovers shark finning, dark vessels

Coast guard's North Pacific patrol uncovers shark finning, dark vessels
The Canadian Coast Guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier is back in its home port in Victoria after its crew swept the North Pacific for unreported and unregulated fishing. The coast guard says in a statement that its officers and support personnel found illegally harvested shark fins, evidence of fishing in closed season, unreported catches and instances of marine pollution.

Coast guard's North Pacific patrol uncovers shark finning, dark vessels

Eby on track for majority as NDP takes lead in key riding, but recounts may loom

Eby on track for majority as NDP takes lead in key riding, but recounts may loom
The British Columbia NDP has overtaken the B.C. Conservatives in the ongoing count of absentee votes in a crucial Metro Vancouver riding, putting Premier David Eby on course to win government with a razor-thin majority. An update from Elections BC at 2 p.m. on Monday put the New Democrats ahead in the riding of Surrey-Guildford by 18 votes.

Eby on track for majority as NDP takes lead in key riding, but recounts may loom

Toxicity and tight race fuel B.C. election integrity doubters, says professor

Toxicity and tight race fuel B.C. election integrity doubters, says professor
University of British Columbia professor emeritus Richard Johnston says questions about mail-in votes and the handling of ballots also reflect circumstances south of the border. He said other factors include use of more complicated voting apparatus and social media platforms where anyone can publish doubts.

Toxicity and tight race fuel B.C. election integrity doubters, says professor

B.C. election: NDP takes lead in key riding, putting Eby on track for majority

B.C. election: NDP takes lead in key riding, putting Eby on track for majority
The NDP now leads Surrey-Guildford by 14 votes and if it hangs on there and in other races, it would have a one-seat majority in the 93-riding legislature. Elections BC officials are counting more than 22,000 absentee and special ballots provincewide today, nine days after the province’s election.

B.C. election: NDP takes lead in key riding, putting Eby on track for majority