Charges Have Been Laid

There was a major press conference held by the London Police Service today regarding the five professional hockey players who have been charged for their involvement in the 2018 sexual assult case surrounding the Canadian junior hockey team. That isn't news as this was announced last week, but what was and wasn't said would be of great interest to those who are following the story. What happened in 2018 to the young lady who is pressing charges is hard to stomach, and I sincerely hope that all those who committed these heinous crimes are convicted and the book is figuratively thrown at them. There's no place in any reality for what they allegedly did, so make an example out of them.

I should point out that these men are innoncent until proven guilty in a court of law, and I have zero insight as to whether they committed the crimes with which they're charged or not. Obviously, that will be up to the court decide once all the evidence is revealed and testimonies are heard, but it sounds like the London Police Service have enough evidence so that these five players should be worried about their futures despite London Police Chief Thai Truong telling reporters that he couldn't elaborate on what that new evidence was.

One thing that was made clear was that the London Police Service understood that they failed the victim in their findings in 2019 before this second investigation was opened.

"I want to extend on behalf of the London Police Service my sincerest apology to the victim, to her family, for the amount of time that it has taken to reach this point," Truong stated matter-of-factly, noting that the original investigation took place between June 2018 and February 2019 where it was "determined that there were insufficient grounds to lay a charge. This decision led to the case being closed."

Clearly, evidence was either missed or withheld at that time, and Truong was quick to point out that the new investigation was far more comprehensive, stating, "This review involved re-examining initial investigative steps, gathering additional evidence and obtaining new information. As a result, we have found sufficient grounds to charge five males with sexual assault."

I'll give Chief Truong credit for righting a wrong in how the case was originally handled, but it felt like Truong should have been far more apologetic to the victim when it came to the original investigation. Of course, he didn't have to address what happened six years ago with the investigation, so the transparency in this matter from the investigation side is appreciated. I just feel like the London Police Service played a part in how we got to where we are today, and they should acknowledge that fact a little more.

Nonetheless, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, and Michael McLeod were each charged with sexual assault, and McLeod was also charged with a second count of sexual assault for "being a party to the offence." Detective Sergeant Katherine Dann explained that the second charge was a "party to the offence charge" which "is in relation to aiding someone else in committing the offence," meaning that McLeod, while being charged with sexual assualt, either aided in the sexual assault happening or helped others participate in the sexual assualt. In short, six major charges to five players whose lawyers all vowed to fight the charges vigorously.

You may be asking about how it was originally determined that eight players were reported to have been involved, but only five players are being charged with crimes. Dann addressed that math problem by telling reporters, "We have laid all the charges that we have reasonable grounds for, and we've had varying levels of participation in the investigation, but I won't provide specifics about who cooperated and who didn't."

That doesn't sound good for the players who haven't been charged in that Dunn makes it sound as if some players were less than cooperative. If that's the case, we may not be done with charges for additional players assuming that the London Police Service can find enough evidence to file additional charges. One has to wonder if the investigation will note who was uncooperative at some point since the NHL is watching over these proceedings as well.

I won't publish some of the reporting of what transpired that night in London where this young woman's life was turned upside-down, but Katie Strang of The Athletic spoke in detail about some of the details that reporters know on the February 2 edition of CBC's Front Burner with Daemon Fairless. I shouldn't have to tell you that some of the details are awful, but, assuming the details are true, it's easy to see why these five men are being charged with crimes. Again, nothing has been proven to be true yet, but the victim needs to be heard and believed in cases such as this.

The lawyers for the men charged in this case agreed to reconvene on April 30, and the judge in charge of the proceedings issued a publication ban on the case before dismissing the parties. That ban prevents the London Police Service from speaking about a lot of the investigation and its details, so don't expect to hear anything earth-shattering about the case before that late April date.

What we do know is that five men have had their professional hockey dreams and pursuits put on hold for good reason because of their alleged actions that took place on one night in 2018. For one woman who seeks accountability in all of this, my hope is that the evidence holds up and these men are forced to face the realities and consequences of their actions. The victim had her world significantly altered by what these five men did, and these five men should have the same done to them if justice prevails here.

Actions have consequences, even if those consequences come one bungled investigation and several years later.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!