An NDP MPP sent out a press release declaring that the five Hockey Canada players who had been accused of sexual assault had been found guilty before the judge’s decision had been announced.
London West MPP Peggy Sattler said the verdict was “a rare moment of justice for survivors of gender-based and sexual violence.”
However, all five players in the high-profile Hockey Canada sexual assault trial have been found not guilty, with Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia delivering her ruling on Thursday afternoon.
Neither Sattler nor the Ontario NDP party responded to True North’s request for comment, but provincial leader Marit Stiles told reporters that it was a staffing error and the press release was later retracted.
“We think about it ahead of time, as we all should, how we’re going to approach issues, especially difficult issues like this…media does the same thing. You think a bit ahead of time about what your response is going to be, or how you’re going to talk about the story, depending on the result. We do the same thing, and a staff person put out the wrong version,” Stiles told CityNews.
Stiles added that “they put out the wrong release before [it] was out. And obviously that shouldn’t have happened.”
Following the verdict’s release, Sattler posted to social media that she was “disappointed” by the decision.
“Today’s verdict is disappointing, showing the gap between what we should know about consent and the culture in our province. This is a crucial moment to support survivors and demand change,” she said.
Each of the five defendants in the case—Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod—faced a single count of sexual assault, with McLeod facing an additional charge of being party to an offence.
Originally planned as a jury trial, the matter was converted to a judge-only trial following the unusual dismissal of two different juries.
The players’ charges stem from an incident in June 2018, in which the complainant—known as E.M. under a standard publication ban—claims she was sexually assaulted by five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior Hockey team.
The allegations came into public view following a report by TSN’s Rick Westhead, who revealed that Hockey Canada had previously settled a civil lawsuit with the same woman who, at that time, alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight men from the 2018 Canadian World Junior Hockey team.
However, Carroccia ultimately determined the complainant in the case did not present credible testimony, telling the court she was not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that any of the defendants were guilty of sexual assault.
Despite the defendants being found “not guilty” on all accounts, the NHL has barred them from rejoining the league and will conduct its own investigation.