RCMP decide against charges in Neepawa hazing incident

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This article was published 29/11/2011 (5294 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RCMP will not lay charges in connection with Neepawa’s high-profile hockey hazing incident, a decision the mother of one of the victims called disappointing.

Meanwhile, an independent investigation commissioned by the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and conducted by a former Winnipeg police detective should be done in about a week. It will be presented to a panel that could recommend further sanctions against the team and players.

The hazing scandal engulfed the Neepawa Natives late last month when the details of locker-room initiations were made public, several weeks after the league began investigating allegations.

Senior players forced a promising 15-year-old rookie to tie a water bottle rack to his scrotum and walk around the dressing room. Other younger players were made to perform push-ups naked over a bucket of ice water.

In a cascading series of sanctions, the MJHL levied fines on the team and issued temporary suspensions for 16 players and coaches. Later, amid national public scrutiny and new allegations, the league permanently suspended assistant coach Brad Biggers while head coach Bryant Perrier resigned. Many players left the team.

The RCMP’s decision not to lay charges came after what the force called an “in-depth investigation,” a “lengthy interview process” and consultations with the Crown attorney’s office. Police said they’re not releasing any more information on the matter because some of the people involved in the case are minors. And officials from Manitoba Justice would not reveal whether or why they advised RCMP not to pursue charges.

“I’m disappointed, but not surprised,” said the mother of the 15-year-old victim who helped blow the whistle on the hazing.

When the RCMP’s investigation was first announced, University of Manitoba criminal law professor David Deutscher predicted any criminal charges might be tough to levy and even tougher to prove in court. Even though the hazing has widely be seen as morally reprehensible, at issue for police and the courts may be whether the victim consented to the acts.

The mother of the 15-year-old said she has begun working on a campaign to add anti-hazing laws to the Criminal Code. She said similar laws are on the books in dozens of U.S. states and such laws could help in cases where hazing doesn’t meet the legal test for assault or sexual assault.

Meanwhile, Manitoba Junior Hockey League commissioner Kim Davis said he hopes the conclusion of the RCMP’s work allows the team and the league to move past the hazing scandal.

“I’m thankful that aspect of the investigation is over and done,” he said.

Later this week or early next, former Winnipeg police detective Ron Bell is expected to submit the results of his independent investigation into the hazing incident.

Davis said a panel made up of representatives of Hockey Manitoba and the league will review Bell’s report and consider what action to take. That could include more sanctions and penalties levied on players and coaching staff.

maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca