After a judge acquitted five former Hockey Canada players of sexual assault charges Thursday, advocates in Edmonton say they are disappointed, but not surprised. “Disappointment, devastation, extreme sadness,” said Mary Jane James, the CEO of the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE). “But I really wasn’t surprised. This is a very complex, difficult case to prosecute.” Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillion Dube and Callan Foote had all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in an encounter that took place in a London, Ont., hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018. A woman known as E.M. accused the five men of sexually assaulting her while she was intoxicated. Justice Maria Carroccia said E.M. had a “tendency to blame others” for inconsistencies in her allegations and did not present credible testimony. James told CTV News Edmonton she was disappointed in the way the judge presented her verdict. “I don’t think that was necessary,” she said, adding that she thought the judge was “rubbing salt in the wound.” While the five hockey players were found not guilty, James said they likely won’t be remembered for their skills on the ice as much as they’ll be remembered for this case. “That does not mean by any stretch that what happened in that room that night was acceptable behaviour by anyone, let alone five individuals who were representing our country,” said James. “I find it really disgusting.” What’s worse is only six per cent of sexual assault victims ever pursue legal action. James is worried there will be a ripple effect, causing more survivors to avoid the justice system. Stacy Lorenz, professor and vice dean at the University of Alberta Augustana campus, said there was a lot of “grey area” throughout the evidence. “This wasn’t a totally clear-cut case and there was a lot of complexity,” said Lorenz, adding that he thought the verdict could go either way, but ultimately wasn’t surprised by Carroccia’s decision. But regardless of the verdict, Lorenz said the trial will ignite nuanced conversations about hockey culture. “I think there’s been a lot of positive debate and discussion that has been generated around this,” said Lorenz, reflecting on changes Hockey Canada has made to improve its culture. “I hope those efforts will continue regardless of the specific outcome of this particular case,” he said. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa
