Former Canadian World Junior Player Testifies About What Was Said In Hotel Room On Night Of Alleged Sexual Assault

Yahoo

15-05-2025

Warning: coverage of the Hockey Canada trial includes graphic details of alleged sexual assault that may be disturbing to readers.
A former Canadian world junior team member testifying in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial said a woman asked the men in a London, Ont., hotel room for sex when an alleged assault occurred.
Tyler Steenbergen is a former member of Canada's 2018 World Junior Championship squad. Five of his teammates – Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote – have each pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual assault, with McLeod pleading not guilty to an additional charge of sexual assault as party to the offense.
The charges the former NHLers face are in relation to a 2018 incident in which a woman, referred to in court documents as E.M., alleges the men sexually assaulted her following a Hockey Canada gala.
Steenbergen has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Once the Crown's re-examination of the complainant wrapped up in the mid-afternoon on Wednesday, Steenbergen appeared virtually to begin his Crown testimony for the jury.
After asking Steenbergen about his time at Jack's Bar – where E.M. initially met McLeod and other players – the night of the alleged assault, assistant Crown attorney Heather Donkers shifted to the events that occurred in Room 209 of the Delta Armouries Hotel in London.
Steenbergen said he initially went to the room because he received a text that there was 'food in McLeod's room.'
He also testified that once he's in the room, he heard someone say, 'Guys, there's a naked girl in the bathroom.'
Just before this, Steenbergen said he remembers seeing other players in the room, including Jake Bean and Dube, who entered together. Other players included Sam Steel, Hart, Maxime Comtois, Drake Batherson, McLeod, Brett Howden and Formenton. Bean, Steel, Comtois, Batherson and Howden are not accused of any wrongdoing.
Steenbergen testified that a woman exited the bathroom unclothed, made her way to a bed sheet on the floor of the room, began masturbating and saying, 'Can one of you guys come over and f--- me?'
Steenbergen testified that after this question, Hart made his way over to the woman and received oral sex from her.
Donkers then asked what the atmosphere was like in the room during that moment.
'I feel like when she asked the guys to come over to have sex with her, I feel like everyone was in shock that she had said that,' Steenbergen said.
He also said he remembered that after the woman had finished giving oral sex to Hart, she told the guys they were 'being p-----s' and then proceeded to give oral sex to McLeod.
Hockey Canada Sexual Assault Trial: Defense Lawyer Questions E.M. On Cal Foote's Alleged 'Party Trick' Warning: coverage of the Hockey Canada trial includes graphic details of alleged sexual assault that may be disturbing to readers.
Before Steenbergen began his testimony, the jury saw the Crown's re-examination of the complainant. A major focus was put on re-examining her responses to when Foote allegedly did the splits over top of her, grazing her face with his genitals.
Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham asked E.M. to explain further part of her statement to police from June 22, 2018, in which she said, 'It was just funny to them, like, 'Do this,' like, the one just did the splits on my face, just to put it in my face, kinda.'
E.M. clarified that the 'it' she was referring to was, 'his penis, in my face.'
This line of questioning ended nearly nine days of the complainant's testimony before the jury. This included her Crown testimony, parts of seven days of the defense's cross-examination and Wednesday's Crown re-examination.
The trial is expected to resume Thursday morning with the continuation of Steenbergen's Crown testimony.