logo
Judge weighs text evidence after Brett Howden's emotional testimony

Judge weighs text evidence after Brett Howden's emotional testimony

New York Times22-05-2025

LONDON, Ont. – The judge in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial will decide whether text messages Brett Howden sent to a teammate describing Dillion Dubé smacking the complainant's buttocks are admissible as evidence.
'Dude, I'm so happy I left when all that sh– went down. Ha, ha,' Howden wrote to Taylor Raddysh, also adding: 'Man, when I was leaving, Duber was smacking this girl's ass so hard. It looked like it hurt so bad.'
Advertisement
On Thursday, Justice Maria Carroccia heard arguments from both the Crown and defense as to whether the text exchange between Howden and Raddysh could be submitted as evidence as 'past recollections recorded.' Court ended early, as Carroccia said she needed time to make a ruling on the key piece of the prosecution's evidence.
Carroccia is expected to deliver her ruling on Friday morning.
Howden sent the text message to Raddysh on June 26, 2018, as the former 2018 Canadian World Junior teammates learned that Hockey Canada was opening an investigation into allegations that a woman had been sexually assaulted by several members of that team a week earlier in a London, Ont., hotel room.
Howden and Raddysh were roommates at the hotel, where they stayed during a Hockey Canada gala and golf tournament. Neither Howden nor Raddysh are accused of wrongdoing.
On Thursday morning, Howden — now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights — appeared in court via video feed from Las Vegas, where he resides.
As he was questioned by Lisa Carnelos, counsel for Dubé, Howden grew visibly emotional as he recalled learning about the Hockey Canada investigation and having to tell his father about the incidents. Carnelos later pressed Howden about his state of mind at the time.
'You're scared of a number of things,' she said. 'You're scared of your dad.'
Howden paused, and appeared to choke up.
'It was one of the hardest things to go through,' he said.
Carnelos pressed further, asking about his girlfriend at the time.
'That girlfriend was very important to you right?'
'Yes,' Howden said. 'She's my wife.'
'You've just had your second child with her, correct?'
Howden's face grew red.
'Yeah,' he said.
'Congratulations,' Carnelos said.
At that, Howden began to cry.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' he said, composing himself after Carroccia asked him if he needed a moment.
Advertisement
The exchange underscored a second day of testimony from Howden. In his first appearance on the stand Wednesday, he repeatedly said he couldn't recall details about the alleged incident, prompting Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham to accuse him of being dishonest about his lack of memory. Howden continued to insist he didn't remember specifics even when given access to transcripts from past statements he made to Hockey Canada investigators and police.
During a voir dire hearing on Wednesday over a Canada Evidence Act application by the Crown seeking to cross-examine Howden, prosecutors and the defense argued over Howden's truthfulness on the stand.
After a day of deliberations, Carroccia found that she didn't believe Howden was feigning memory loss, but agreed that there were elements of his testimony that were inconsistent with his past statements. Carroccia ruled that four areas out of the 18 Cunningham presented could be further questioned.
During arguments on Wednesday, Megan Savard — attorney for Carter Hart — said that Howden was an unsophisticated, inarticulate witness who didn't even dress properly for court. Howden appeared in a hoodie during his first day on the stand.
When Howden returned to the stand on Thursday, he wore a white polo shirt and appeared more forthright in his answers. He is the fourth member of the 2018 World Junior team called as a Crown witness. Raddysh, Boris Katchouk and Tyler Steenbergen have already testified.
Howden's former World Junior teammates — Dubé, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton and Cal Foote — looked on from the courtroom. They are each accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the early hours of June 19, 2018, after a Hockey Canada gala in London, Ont. All five players pleaded not guilty in the trial, which is now in its fifth week.
Advertisement
The Crown says that McLeod, Hart and Dubé all obtained oral sex from E.M. without her consent, and that Formenton had vaginal sex with E.M. without her consent. The Crown has also told the jury that Dubé slapped E.M.'s naked buttocks while she was engaged in a sexual act with another person, and that Foote did the splits and grazed his genitals over her face as she laid on the ground.
Howden recalled being shocked when he read the contents of his text exchange with Raddysh during a later Hockey Canada investigation. He said he could not recall sending those messages.
But he told Cunningham that he had 'no reason to lie' at the time.
Later, Carnelos pressed Howden about his state of mind and the casual nature of the text messages he exchanged about the incident in 2018. He said it was hard to remember details, but recalled being stressed and scared at the time.
'For so long, I've been trying to move on past this and forget about it,' Howden said. 'I remember the gist of what happened that night, but it's hard for me to go back in that time and remember it.'
Carnelos and other members of the defense argued that the text messages should be dismissed because Howden was not attempting to be accurate when he wrote them and did not expect them to be used as evidence seven years later.
Later, when Cunningham re-examined Howden, she again asked him whether — even if he doesn't recall the events described — he believed he was being truthful when he wrote the text message.
'I believe what I said back then,' he said. 'I was being honest.'
(Photo of Brett Howden of the Vegas Golden Knights by Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Why World Cup 2026 host cities are taking a light approach to the year-out hype
Why World Cup 2026 host cities are taking a light approach to the year-out hype

New York Times

time23 minutes ago

  • New York Times

Why World Cup 2026 host cities are taking a light approach to the year-out hype

A year from now, the most expansive World Cup in history will kick off on North American soil, but you might not know it from walking around through any of the 11 U.S. host cities. Any soccer-themed billboards or Instagram advertising splashes are conspicuously absent. That the World Cup is coming is no secret, but the visible signs that we're at a 12-month countdown are few and far between. Advertisement By the time the 48 qualified teams begin their campaigns in the U.S., Mexico and Canada in 2026, the chances are that this will be the most hyped sporting event North America has ever seen. Yet despite the anticipation from soccer fans, the U.S. side has remained relatively hushed so far. So why hasn't there been more of a push? And why did the year-out marker pass by this week with so little domestic fanfare? 'It is kind of like the Club World Cup. We did not see a lot of action around it either,' Dave Wakeman of Wakeman Consulting, a strategy firm focused on sports, told The Athletic. There are several reasons U.S. host cities have not moved faster. For starters, many key details are still up in the air. Host cities do not know which matches they'll stage, the official draw isn't until December and unless you are eyeing premium hospitality packages that cost thousands of dollars, tickets for the general public aren't even on sale yet. With no significant financial help from FIFA, host cities are also juggling the responsibility of finding funds they need to use for promoting the event, multiple industry insiders told The Athletic. Add in the fact that FIFA traditionally launches its own major marketing push just six to nine months before the tournament, the current silence starts to make more sense. Still, for an event of this scale, the absence of orchestrated buzz could be seen as risky. 'Think of it like the launching of a blockbuster movie,' Wakeman said. 'You want to have an action plan that builds 90-180 days out. But you need to get going now because people have to plan. You are counting on people coming from around the world, but in the current environment you have to rely on American tourists more than usual.' But in most cases, the slow rollout appears to be a calculated move. Unlike most countries, the U.S. is saturated with major sporting events year-round, making it harder for any single tournament—even the World Cup—to dominate the spotlight. At least that's the reason one host city, San Francisco, is making sure it is using its resources efficiently. 'A year is actually a very short time before such a big event,' Zaileen Janmohamed, the president and CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC), told The Athletic during the World Cup Host City event in New York on Monday. 'But we have a Super Bowl right before the World Cup, so we're making sure that we're prioritizing the right decisions at the right time. First we've got America's biggest game and then we have the world's biggest tournament.' Advertisement Starting Wednesday, many host cities will kick off their 'One Year Out' activations, following San Francisco's lead. In Seattle, the countdown clock will be unveiled at the base of the Space Needle during a fan celebration featuring local soccer legends and ambassadors to drum up excitement. Then on Sunday, which is exactly one year before Seattle hosts its first World Cup match, the host committee will team up with Seattle Reign and the Seattle Sounders to attempt a Guinness World Record for world's largest soccer clinic. In Houston, the host committee will host an exclusive event with city officials and potential donors, featuring former USMNT captain Carlos Bocanegra. In Kansas City, the chair of the host committee board will throw out the first pitch at Wednesday night's game between the Royals and New York Yankees to mark the one-year countdown. Despite being thoughtful about a big marketing push later in 2026, San Francisco is also planning on kicking off the marketing campaign with a plaque unveiling at the stadium with the city of Santa Clara on Wednesday, a speaking event with some of the biggest names in soccer from the Bay Area. It includes Bruce Arena, the coach of the San Jose Earthquakes, Brady Stewart of Bay FC and former USWNT legend and one of the owners of Bay FC, Aly Wagner, bringing together the soccer community in the Bay Area and will host a free and open clinic and a community festival in San Jose on Saturday for the public. Meanwhile, in Canada and Mexico, some of their host cities are already pitching things with posters revealed in public spaces to hype soccer fans. A post shared by FWC26Vancouver (@fwc26vancouver) But perhaps one of the most bizarre ways to kick off the World Cup promotions happened a few weeks ago in New York. For the first time ever, a professional soccer freestyler, Frankie Flo, juggled and dribbled a soccer ball through the Lincoln Tunnel, which connects New Jersey and New York, to spotlight 'the unifying power of sport and elevate community spirit,' according to the PR agency that promoted the event. Advertisement 'The Lincoln Tunnel Challenge 5K is a perfect reflection of what FIFA World Cup 26 NYNJ is all about, connecting the two great states of NY and NJ, and the entire region through athleticism, passion, and community spirit,' it read. Of all the ways to hype the biggest sporting event in history, a freestyling influencer dribbling a ball through a fume-choked tunnel every New Yorker despises, was an interesting one. It may have been an odd way to build buzz around the World Cup, but for organizers even a weird stunt like this signals a shift from vague hype to decisions and the beginning of the final push. 'How does it feel to be one year out? Does it make it more real? Of course!' Janmohamed explained. 'The good news is that the decisions start to get made instead of being in this phase where you're planning and thinking. We now have to make a decision, and that decision allows us to make other decisions. Understanding that the World Cup is coming next year, and I think it's actually going to be a really, really great tournament.'

Summer McIntosh shatters two more swimming world records at Canadian trials
Summer McIntosh shatters two more swimming world records at Canadian trials

New York Times

timean hour ago

  • New York Times

Summer McIntosh shatters two more swimming world records at Canadian trials

Three-time Olympic champion Summer McIntosh has done it again. The teenage swimmer set her second world record in three days at the Canadian trials on Monday night in Victoria, British Columbia. McIntosh swam the 200-meter individual medley in 2 minutes, 5.7 seconds, breaking the record of 2:06.12 set by Katinka Hosszu of Hungary in 2015. McIntosh is the first female swimmer to finish under 2:06. SUMMER MCINTOSH EARNS HER SECOND WORLD RECORD AT THE CANADIAN SWIMMING TRIALS 🤯👏 She breaks Katinka Hosszu's 200m individual medley world record with a time of 2:05.70. — CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) June 10, 2025 The 18-year-old from Toronto had already broken the world mark in the 400 freestyle on Saturday, completing the race in 3:54.18 and winning by more than 13 seconds. McIntosh took more than a second off the old record of 3:55.38 set by Ariarne Titmus of Australia in 2023. McIntosh broke her Canadian record in the 800 free on Sunday with a time of 8:05.07, which was just 0.95 of a second off the world record set by Katie Ledecky in May. Advertisement 'I knew that my training has been really good these past few months, and I knew that I could do something special,' McIntosh told the CBC. McIntosh also holds the 400 IM world record, as well as the 400 free, 200 butterfly and 400 IM records in the short-course pool. McIntosh and Ledecky are likely to meet in the 400 freestyle at the World Championships in Singapore on July 27. They also could battle in the 800 freestyle if McIntosh decides to swim in that race after bypassing it at the Paris Olympics. (Photo of Summer McIntosh: Joris Verwijst / BSR Agency / Getty Images)

It's England vs Senegal — and it's live!
It's England vs Senegal — and it's live!

New York Times

time2 hours ago

  • New York Times

It's England vs Senegal — and it's live!

Thomas Tuchel continues England's preparations for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. with today's friendly against Senegal. The Three Lions made it three wins out of three in their qualifying campaign on Saturday, with a 1-0 victory against minnows Andorra in Barcelona. Nottingham Forest's City Ground hosts the game, marking England's return to the stadium for the first time in 80 years. Follow our build-up and live coverage below, including insights from our analysts and reporters at the ground. Kick-off: 7:45pm (UK), 2:45pm (ET), 11:45am (PT) 7:45pm (UK), 2:45pm (ET), 11:45am (PT) Watch: ITV1 (UK) ITV1 (UK) Streaming: Fubo (try for free) Fubo (try for free) Team news: likely to be revealed an hour and 15 minutes before kick-off likely to be revealed an hour and 15 minutes before kick-off Get in touch by contacting us at: live@ GO FURTHER Ten players who could steal the show at the 2026 World Cup

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store