One of accused hockey players tells sex assault trial complainant acted 'willingly'

One of five hockey players accused of sexual assault says he was "pretty excited" when a woman asked him and several of his teammates for sex in a London, Ont., hotel room.

Carter Hart says he was 19 and single at the time and "there was a naked girl in the room that was doing these things willingly," which he had never seen before.

Hart says he asked the woman for oral sex because he didn't want to have intercourse, and she crawled toward him and helped him pull down his pants.

But he says the oral sex only lasted 30 to 60 seconds because he felt weird doing that in front of the others, particularly after making eye contact with one of his teammates.

Hart began testifying in his defence this morning after prosecutors wrapped up their case.

Hart, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault, and McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

The charges stem from an encounter with a woman that took place in a London, Ont., hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018.

At the time, many members of the 2018 national world junior team were in town for a series of events celebrating their championship win.

Prosecutors allege McLeod, Hart and Dube obtained oral sex from the woman without her consent, and Dube slapped her buttocks while she was engaged in a sexual act with someone else.

Foote is accused of doing the splits over the woman's face and grazing his genitals on it without her consent. Formenton is alleged to have had vaginal sex with the complainant inside the bathroom without her consent.

Hart told the court his sexual contact with the complainant was consensual and he didn't touch her body during the act.

A lawyer representing McLeod said Thursday he isn't calling any witnesses.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nicole Osborne