Overview

• Justice Maria Carroccia ruled the Crown failed to disprove consent beyond a reasonable doubt and found the complainant’s testimony unreliable.
• Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote were cleared of sexual assault charges stemming from a June 2018 hotel room encounter in London, Ontario.
• The eight-week proceeding began with a jury on April 22, suffered a mistrial on April 25 and saw a second jury dismissed on May 16 before converting to a judge-only trial.
• Defence and prosecution clashed over “consent videos” the complainant recorded and whether affirmative statements applied to each alleged act.
• The trial revived scrutiny of Hockey Canada’s use of youth fee funds for a settlement and intensified debate on consent rules and accountability in elite hockey culture.