Woman testifies about alleged sexual assault by members of Canada’s 2018 world juniors team

LONDON, Ontario (AP) — The woman who has accused five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team of sexual assault testified Monday that she was naked, drunk and scared when four of the men showed up unexpectedly in her hotel room seven years ago and felt the only “safe” option was to do what they wanted.

The woman told the court she had just had sex with Michael McLeod, one of the the defendants, when two men arrived together and two more showed up after she went to the bathroom. She said the men wanted her to lie down on a bedsheet on the floor and seemed to be laughing at her as they discussed sexual acts they wanted her to perform.

“My mind just shut down,” she said. The woman said she “didn’t know these men at all,” and didn’t know how they would react if she tried to say no or leave.

McLeod, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged with sexual assault last year for the incident that allegedly took place in June 2018 when they were in London, Ontario, for a Hockey Canada gala celebrating their championship at that year’s world junior tournament. McLeod is facing an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault.

All have pleaded not guilty. None is on an NHL roster or has an active contract with a team in the league.

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The woman described how the men pulled down their pants, wanting her to perform oral sex, she felt slaps on her buttocks and one of the men did the splits right over her face as she lay back on the sheet.

“It felt degrading,” she said. “It was all just a joke to them.”

She said one of the men followed her into the bathroom, put on a condom and they had sex; she said it felt like a continuation of what had been going on and like she didn’t have control over the situation.

The woman said she cried and tried to leave at various points throughout the night, but each time, someone would persuade her to stay.

“They kept bringing me back,” she said.

It was only after she’d left the room later that her mind seemed to re-enter her body and all the emotions she’d been blocking came flooding back, she said.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia told jurors they may use evidence related to the initial encounter with McLeod to assess the credibility of the complainant’s testimony about her “interest and level of participation” in what happened afterward, her ability to choose what activities to engage in and her level of intoxication.

The judge specifically told jurors they must not infer that if the woman willingly left a bar with McLeod and had consensual sex with him, it is more likely that she consented to the sexual activity that led to the charges against the five players or that she is less worthy of belief.