Howden breaks down on witness stand in sexual assault trial of five of his ex-teammates

A the trial for 5 former junior hockey players accused of sexual assault, a witness broke down while testifying. CTV London’s Nick Paparella reports.

Warning: This story contains graphic details and allegations of sexual assault

An emotional Brett Howden was back on the witness stand in a London, Ont., courtroom Thursday morning in the sexual assault trial of five of his former Team Canada World Junior hockey teammates.

Dressed in a white collar golf shirt, Howden broke down crying when defence attorney Lisa Carnelos asked about when he first found out there was a Hockey Canada investigation into events at the Delta hotel in London, Ont., on June 29, 2018.

Howden was visibly teary-eyed when Carnelos, attorney for Dillon Dube, asked about having to explain the situation to his family and to his then-girlfriend, now wife.

“You know, I just, I just know that... in my past, like, I’m just trying hard to to think back in that time. But there’s a lot of things that are hard to remember because, for, you know, for so long, you’ve just been trying to move on past this and forget about this all. And, you know, obviously I remember the gist of what happened that night, but there’s a lot of these little things. It’s hard, it’s hard for me to, you know, go back in that time and remember it,” testified Howden.

Earlier in the day the court heard about text messages between Howden and Taylor Raddysh, another former teammate who has already testified.

Howden wrote ‚“Dude, I’m so happy I left.” then he referred to one of the accused, Dillon Dube when he texted., “Duber [Dillon Dube] was smacking the girl’s ass so hard, it looked like it hurt so bad.”

Howden is not accused of any wrongdoing and is appearing as a Crown witness.

Prosecutors allege Micheal McLeod, Carter Hart and Dube obtained oral sex from a women known as E.M., without her consent, and Dube had slapped her buttocks while she was engaged in a sexual act with someone else.

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

Day 16: ‘We should put allegations on her’: Another former player testifies in sexual assault case of former junior hockey players

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The woman has testified she was naked, drunk and scared when men started coming into the hotel room where she had consensual sex with McLeod. That initial encounter alone with McLeod is not part of the trial, which centres on what happened after others arrived.

The complainant, whose identity is protected under a publication ban, said she took on a “porn star persona” because she felt she had no choice but to go along with what she thought the men wanted her to do.

She also said felt numb and on “autopilot” as she engaged in the sexual acts.

Over days of cross-examination, lawyers for the players suggested the woman wanted the men’s attention and repeatedly urged them to engage in sexual activity with her, even taunting them at times.

Howden, who now plays in the NHL for the Vegas Golden Knights, told the court by videoconference Tuesday he went to McLeod’s room to order food and hang out with his teammates, and was surprised to see a woman there.

The woman started “begging” the men to have sex with her, he said, and gave oral sex to Hart and McLeod. He mentioned Dube “spanking” the complainant but didn’t remember seeing it himself.

At another point, he recalled Formenton asking some of the others in the room something along the lines of “should I be doing this?” as he headed to the bathroom with the woman.

He said the players left the decision to Formenton, but he couldn’t recall if anyone had responded to Formenton’s question.

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, you should call 911.

A full list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling can be found ​on the website for the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres.

Helplines, legal services and locations that offer sexual assault kits in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia can be found here.

National Residential School Crisis Line: [phone]

24-hour crisis line: 416 597 8808

Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: [phone]

Trans Lifeline: [phone]

Sexual misconduct support for current or former members of the Armed Forces: [phone]

Read about your rights as a victim here.