Crown won’t appeal hockey players’ acquittals on sex assault charges: defence lawyer
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The Crown will not appeal the acquittals of five former world junior hockey players after their high-profile sexual assault trial, one of the defence lawyers in the case said Thursday.
Daniel Brown, who represented Alex Formenton, said he has been informed of the prosecutors’ decision. The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Formenton, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were all acquitted of sexual assault, and McLeod of a separate charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.
The defence deemed the July 24 ruling a “resounding vindication,” while the complainant’s lawyer called it devastating.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found the complainant’s testimony was not credible or reliable, and that there were “troubling aspects” in how she delivered some of her evidence about the 2018 encounter in a London, Ont., hotel room.
The ruling capped off a turbulent trial that captured national attention this spring and renewed conversations about consent and hockey culture.
Soon after the decision, the NHL said the acquitted players were still ineligible to play in the league while it reviews the court’s findings, a declaration denounced by the NHL Players’ Association.
The NHL reiterated Thursday that the matter remains under review and the players remain ineligible to compete.
The NHLPA declined to comment further when reached Thursday by The Canadian Press.
Hockey Canada has said the players are still suspended from all programming sanctioned by the organization.
The case centred on an encounter that took place in the early hours of June 19, 2018, as many members of that year’s national junior team were in London for events celebrating their gold-medal performance.
Court heard the complainant had sex with McLeod, whom she had met at a downtown bar earlier that night, in his hotel room — an encounter that was not part of the trial. The charges related to what happened after several other players came into the room.
Prosecutors alleged McLeod orchestrated a “campaign” to bring his friends into the room to engage in sexual acts with the woman without her knowledge or consent — a charge the judge rejected in her ruling.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.
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