Ontario judge declares mistrial in world junior sex assault case

An Ontario judge has declared a mistrial in the high-profile sexual assault case involving five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team.

Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia declared the mistrial Friday, meaning it will end without a final judgement. However, after a mistrial is declared, the trial must start again with the selection of a new jury, if it is a jury case.

Jury selection took place on Tuesday at the courthouse in London, Ont. The jury comprised of three men and 11 women, with another man and woman serving as alternates.

The process to select a new jury began shortly after Carroccia’s mistrial declaration; almost 200 prospective jurors were present at the courthouse, Global News observed.

The Crown was laying out its case against Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton on Wednesday when Carroccia dismissed jurors early, saying an incident occurred during the lunch hour, and that she needed to discuss it with the lawyers.

Legal arguments dominated Thursday’s hearing. Matters discussed when the jury is not present can’t be reported until after jurors are sequestered to deliberate.

1:17 Unexpected pause in sexual assault trial of former world junior hockey players

Dube, Hart, McLeod, Foote and Formenton were charged with sexual assault early last year in connection to an alleged group sexual assault in London after a Hockey Canada gala event in 2018. McLeod is facing an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

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The players all entered not-guilty pleas one by one Tuesday.

News of the alleged group sexual assault first broke in May 2022 after TSN reported Hockey Canada had settled a civil lawsuit with the female complainant.

That report triggered a series of events, with intense scrutiny focused on Hockey Canada that eventually led the entire board and leadership team to resign.

London police, which closed an initial investigation without charges in 2019, would reopen the case three years later and lay charges.

2:41 Canada world junior hockey sexual assault trial: Crown focuses on consent in opening statement

Chief Thai Truong apologized to the alleged victim in February 2024, saying “it shouldn’t take years and years for us to arrive at the outcome of today.”

He and other officers offered few details, saying they could not compromise the ongoing legal case.

A court ban prevents the release of any information that could identify the complainant, whose version of what happened in 2018 will be tested in front of the defendants in court.

— with files from The Canadian Press