London Police Chief Thai Truong said there was much he could not reveal about why the police investigation was initially closed without charges in 2019
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LONDON, Ont. — Nearly six years after a woman alleged she had been sexually assaulted by five then-members of Canada’s world junior hockey team, the police chief of a southwestern Ontario city offered an apology for how long it had taken for charges to be laid in the case.
Chief Thai Truong said there was much he could not reveal about why the police investigation that began in 2018 was initially closed without charges in 2019, before being reopened three years later.
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But Truong said he, on behalf of the force, was extending his “sincerest apology” for the time it had taken for the case to reach its present point.
“This should not take this long,” Truong said at a news conference Monday. “It shouldn’t take years and years for us to arrive to the outcome of today.”
Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged with sexual assault last month. McLeod is also facing an additional charge of sexual assault for “being a party to the offence.”
Lawyers for the players have said their clients will defend themselves against the allegations.
The charges in the case relate to an alleged incident at a hotel in London in June 2018, after members of the world junior team celebrated a gold-medal win.
Police said some members of the team went, after a celebratory event, to a downtown London bar where they met the complainant in the case. The woman then went to a hotel with one of the accused, police said, and the four other accused went to the same hotel, where the alleged offences took place.
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Police said someone related to the complainant called the force later that morning seeking advice regarding an alleged sexual assault.
Police later decided to review the investigation in July 2022. London Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann said Monday that officers found new evidence that helped lead to the charges.
“Upon review of the occurrence, it was determined that there were additional steps that could be taken to advance the investigation,” Dann said, adding that the complainant “fully participated” throughout the investigation.
“Our team explored investigative opportunities in addition to the 2018 investigation … Additional witnesses were spoken to and we collected more evidence. I can confirm that some of this evidence was not available when the investigation concluded in 2019.”
Truong said he had not spoken directly to the then-police chief about why a review of the case was ordered, but said he understood that “information came to light as a result of the community.”
“Why it took so long will form part of the proceedings, but it is completely inappropriate for me to talk about those details at this time,” he said. “There will be a time where I’ll be able to speak about the matter, but I cannot jeopardize the ongoing case.”
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Police on Monday also read out a statement from the legal representative for the complainant in the case.
“It takes an incredible amount of courage for any survivor of sexual assault to report to the police and participate in the criminal justice system. That is certainly true for E.M.,” the statement said. “Yet she remains committed to see this process through.”
The case had its first court hearing earlier Monday, where lawyers for the players appeared on their clients’ behalf.
During the brief hearing, prosecutors sought and obtained an order protecting the identity of the complainant, which is standard in sexual assault cases, as well as that of two witnesses.
Assistant Crown attorney Heather Donkers also said the players’ lawyers would receive “substantial disclosure” in the next few days. Disclosure is the evidence collected by the prosecution against the accused.
The case will be back in court April 30.
Hockey Canada and the NHL, where four of the accused now play, had launched their own investigations into the case.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said last week the league would wait until the criminal case has concluded before commenting. Hockey Canada has not issued an official statement on the charges.
Dube plays for the Calgary Flames, Hart for the Philadelphia Flyers, McLeod and Foote for the New Jersey Devils. Formenton previously played for the Ottawa Senators before joining a team in Switzerland. All have been permitted to go on indefinite leave.
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2024-02-06 03:45:00Z
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