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4w ago

Crown Declines to Appeal Acquittals in Hockey Canada Sexual-Assault Case

Under Canadian law, overturning an acquittal requires proving a significant legal error.

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Former 2018 Team Canada World Junior players Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod sit in court, after a judge found Hart and his teammates not guilty in the trial involving players from Canada's 2018 gold medal-winning world junior hockey team, who were charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room, at the Superior Court of Justice in London, Ontario, Canada, July 24, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. CTV via REUTERS/File Photo
Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham speaks to media outside court in London, Ontario on July 24, 2025. (Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail)
Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod and Dillon Dubé, left to right, were members of Canada's 2018 gold medal-winning world junior hockey team. On July 24, they were found not guilty of sexual assault after an eight-week trial in London, Ont.

Overview

  • The Ontario Crown notified defence counsel it will not seek appellate review of the July 24 not-guilty rulings for five former 2018 world junior players.
  • The accused — Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote — were acquitted after Justice Maria Carroccia found the complainant’s evidence not credible or reliable and said the Crown could not meet its burden.
  • McLeod was also acquitted of a separate count alleging he was a party to the offence.
  • The eight-week proceeding shifted to a judge-alone trial after a mistrial and the dismissal of a second jury, and the complainant, identified as E. M. under a publication ban, testified for nine days.
  • The NHL says the players remain ineligible to return while it reviews the decision, a stance the NHLPA has argued is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.