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07\/24\/25 11:12Judge highlights hotel room events captured on video<\/p>\n1\/11<\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 11:12Judge highlights hotel room events captured on video<\/p>\n
\u2013 Robyn Doolittle <\/p>\n
Justice Carroccia is still going through the events in the hotel room, including allegations from E.M. that she had been crying either because the men were making fun of her or because of comments the men were making. The judge highlights that during cross-examination by David Humphrey (Michael McLeod\u2019s lawyer), E.M. acknowledged that Mr. McLeod had asked her if she was okay with things and that she replied that she was. (This exchange was captured on video.) E.M. told the court in response to this admission: \u201cWhat else was I supposed to say at that point?\u201d<\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 11:01Judge refers to testimony questioning complainant\u2019s memory of alleged assault <\/p>\n
\u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n
Justice Carroccia notes that E.M. agreed with a suggestion by defence lawyer Megan Savard (who is representing Carter Hart) that she had very little memory of what she said inside the hotel room. E.M. said it did not feel like she had a choice but to go along with the sexual acts, however, the judge notes that E.M. said it was possible she adopted \u201cthe persona of a porn star\u201d because she believed that is what the men wanted. <\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 10:54Justice Carroccia reviews testimony from the trial<\/p>\n
\u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n
Justice Carroccia is continuing to recap the events in the hotel room and the testimony heard during the trial. <\/p>\n
She highlights that E.M. acknowledged it was possible she was being \u201cflirty\u201d with the players in the hotel room. E.M. told the court that had she been thinking clearly \u2013 and not drunk \u2013 she could have left. E.M. said she was acting on \u201cauto-pilot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justice Carroccia mentions E.M.\u2019s statement that once the players entered the room, it felt like her mind and body separated. <\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 10:33Judge: \u2018I do not find the evidence of E.M. to be either credible or reliable\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n
Justice Carroccia says: \u201cI do not find the evidence of E.M. to be either credible or reliable.\u201d She finds that consent was not vitiated by fear. As the judge says these words, members of the accused players\u2019 families have broken down in tears.<\/p>\n
Justice Maria Carroccia says that \u201cwith respect to the charges before this court, having found that I cannot rely upon the evidence of E.M.\u2026 I conclude that the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me.\u201d<\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 10:30Judge begins verdict with recap of night in question<\/p>\n
\u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n
Justice Carroccia begins her decision with a recap of the night in question, starting with the Hockey Canada gala and then Jack\u2019s bar, where the complainant met the players. The judge notes that E.M. and Michael McLeod returned to his hotel, where they had consensual sex. Afterwards, E.M. has alleged that other members of the team entered the room and this is where she said she was sexually assaulted. The judge said that: \u201cE.M. felt she did not have a choice about whether to engage in the sexual activity, out of fear, intoxication or both.\u201d<\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 10:26Justice Maria Carroccia enters courtroom, begins reading verdict<\/p>\n
\u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n
Justice Maria Carroccia has entered the courtroom. She is starting to read her verdict. She said she will make a written copy available after.<\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 10:22Courtroom awaiting the judge\u2019s arrival <\/p>\n
\u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n
The proceedings have not yet begun. Staff appear to still be trying to figure out what to do with the very large number of spectators at the courthouse. <\/p>\n
Although it\u2019s a large courtroom, there actually aren\u2019t that many seats. About 50 people are in the room, and the majority of it is taken up by five tables designated for the defence teams and accused players.<\/p>\n
The players\u2019 families are sitting in two long rows behind the defence teams. Media and some spectators are dispersed between five short rows on the far side of the courtroom.<\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 10:09Multiple overflow rooms open to the public, media at London courthouse<\/p>\n
\u2013 Colin Freeze <\/p>\n
The packed courtroom is buzzing with anticipation. <\/p>\n
By 9:45 a.m. a first-floor overflow room with 150 seats had completely filled up.<\/p>\n
At 9:50 a.m., a court services officer told the crowd that an additional room was being opened up on the 11th Floor to accommodate the overflow from the overflow.<\/p>\n
The overflow rooms will allow the public and some media members to watch what is happening in the 14th floor courtroom via video.<\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 09:58Reporters, spectators let into packed courtroom<\/p>\n
\u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n
Members of the media \u2013 many of us lined up outside around 6:15 a.m. \u2013 have just been let into the courtroom, which is packed. Dozens more reporters and spectators are waiting in line, hoping to get inside. Family members of the accused players were allowed in first as well as lawyers and some police officers. There is some discussion about opening up the jury box for more seating. <\/p>\n
07\/24\/25 09:31Who is E.M., the woman at the centre of the trial?<\/p>\n
\u2013 Globe Staff<\/p>\n
The complainant in the case is a woman publicly identified only as E.M., who was 20 years old at the time of the alleged assault. Her name is subject to a mandatory publication ban that applies to complainants in sexual assault cases.<\/p>\n
From 2022: Woman at centre of Hockey Canada scandal breaks silence<\/a><\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 09:19Who are the players charged in the case?<\/p>\n \u2013 Globe staff<\/p>\n Accused players in Hockey Canada trial arrive at courthouse accompanied by family and lawyers.<\/p>\n The five former members of the 2018 Canadian world junior hockey team charged with sexual assault are Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dub\u00e9 and Cal Foote. Mr. McLeod also faces a second charge of being a party to sexual assault. The men have each pleaded not guilty. All five have denied wrongdoing, staged vigorous defences, and taken leaves from their teams.<\/p>\n Four of the five players had been playing in the NHL prior to their arrests in 2024. Mr. Dub\u00e9 was a member of the Calgary Flames, Mr. Hart was with the Philadelphia Flyers, and Mr. McLeod and Mr. Foote were playing for the New Jersey Devils. Mr. Formenton was playing for the Swiss club HC Ambri-Piotta at the time, but he had previously been a member of the Ottawa Senators.<\/p>\n Who are the 2018 world junior players charged with sexual assault?<\/a><\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 09:12Protesters gather outside the London courthouse<\/p>\n \u2013 Sophia Coppolino<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Protestors draw in chalk and hood signs at the courthouse in London, Ontario on Thursday, July 24, 2025.Geoff Robins\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n Before the court house opens, dozens of protesters held signs \u201cWe believe E.M\u201d and \u201cNo more boys will be boys excuses.\u201d <\/p>\n Dillon Dub\u00e9 is the first defendant to arrive at the courthouse with his lawyers. Protesters yelled \u201closer\u201d as he passed, while two others countered with \u201cnot guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 09:00Scene at the London courthouse this morning<\/p>\n \u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n The scene at the London, Ont. courthouse in the early morning on the day of the Hockey Canada verdict, July 24, 2025.Robyn Doolittle\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n This was the scene at the London Superior courthouse Thursday morning. Reporters and court watchers started lining up at 6:15 a.m. Justice Maria Carroccia is expected to begin delivering her verdict at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 08:30<\/p>\n \u2013 Robyn Doolittle<\/p>\n Good morning everyone. I\u2019m Robyn Doolittle, a reporter with The Globe who focuses on investigations and law. I\u2019ve been covering the Hockey Canada scandal since it first broke, and I\u2019ve been covering the trial in London, Ont. I\u2019m back at the courthouse this morning, awaiting Justice Carroccia\u2019s verdict.<\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 08:30<\/p>\n \u2013 Claire McFarlane<\/p>\n Hi! I\u2019m Claire McFarlane and I\u2019m a general assignment reporter. I\u2019m in Toronto today, speaking with advocates and people who support survivors of sexual violence about the verdict. <\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 08:30<\/p>\n \u2013 Colin Freeze<\/p>\n I\u2019m Colin Freeze and I cover crime, courts and security issues. I\u2019m in the London courthouse today to cover the verdict. <\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 08:30<\/p>\n \u2013 David Ebner<\/p>\n Hi I\u2019m David Ebner and I cover the justice beat. I report on the Supreme Court of Canada and a wide range of legal cases\/issues.<\/p>\n I\u2019m based in Vancouver and on Thursday morning, watching the verdict online, I\u2019m looking at the legal question of consent and the \u201cconsent videos\u201d that were argued over at trial \u2013 listening for how Justice Maria Carroccia weighed and assessed these key elements of the case.<\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 08:30<\/p>\n \u2013 Sophia Coppolino<\/p>\n Hi, I\u2019m Sophia, and I\u2019m a Globe reporter covering crime this summer. I\u2019m outside the courthouse in London, keeping an eye on the crowds, including protests organized by supporters of sexual assault survivors, as the verdict is delivered today.<\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 08:30<\/p>\n – Simon Houpt<\/p>\n Hi, I\u2019m Simon Houpt and I\u2019ve helped to cover the Hockey Canada file since it broke three years ago. I\u2019m in Toronto, and I\u2019m working the phones today with my sports colleague Marty Klinkenberg to gauge the reaction to the verdict by the NHL and the broader hockey world.<\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 08:30How the Hockey Canada verdict could break new ground on sexual consent<\/p>\n – Sean Fine<\/p>\n Today\u2019s verdict could break new ground on the question of what constitutes voluntary consent, in cases of an apparent power imbalance \u2013 in this instance, multiple men in a hotel room with an intoxicated woman most of them had never met.<\/p>\n The trial<\/a> has given a rare national profile to how the criminal-justice system addresses sexual assault. Front and centre is the issue of consent, and the \u201chonest but mistaken belief\u201d defence that has been diminishing over the past several years.<\/p>\n In Canadian law, consent is not just the absence of a \u201cno,\u201d but requires an affirmation \u2013 a yes, in words or conduct. But what about when there is a yes, in circumstances in which an individual might not see a way out?<\/p>\n Justice Maria Carroccia must decide whether E.M. was just \u201cgoing along to get along,\u201d said Toronto lawyer David Butt, who was not involved in the case. And if so, did she induce an honest belief in the men, even if a mistaken one, that she was consenting?<\/p>\n Read more about what the verdict could mean for consent law in Canada.<\/a><\/p>\n 07\/24\/25 08:30Who is Justice Maria Carroccia, the judge deciding the case?<\/p>\n \u2013 David Ebner<\/p>\n Justice Maria Carroccia grew up in Windsor, Ont., born to Italian immigrants and the oldest of four children. Her father, Angelo, came to Canada in 1954 and worked as a construction crane operator. Her mother, Assunta, was a homemaker.<\/p>\n Her parents, who didn\u2019t finish grade school, encouraged her education and she graduated in 1987 from the University of Windsor law school. Justice Carroccia worked for decades as a criminal-defence lawyer in Windsor before she was appointed as a judge to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2020. In her five years as a judge, Justice Carroccia has overseen high-profile and complex cases, from murders to sexual assault trials. She is married, and has two daughters.<\/p>\n Justice Carroccia\u2019s work during the Hockey Canada trial focused on the nuances of sexual-assault law and what constitutes consent. Today, many people in the legal profession and across Canada will be listening to her every word.<\/p>\n