Latest news with #Raddysh
Global News
26-05-2025
- Global News
World junior trial: Judge rejects Crown's latest attempt to admit Howden text
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story contains details that may be graphic. Reader discretion is advised. An Ontario judge has ruled a text conversation initiated by a member of Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team won't be admitted as evidence in his ex-teammates' sexual assault trial. Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said Monday Crown prosectors, who had already tried to get the June 2018 conversation between Brett Howden and Taylor Raddysh admitted as evidence, did not meet the onus for it to be admissible under a hearsay application. A hearsay application is a mechanism in which hearsay evidence can be admitted if it is deemed necessary and reliable. The Crown filed the application Friday after its 'past recollection recorded' application — a prior statement captured in some form – was rejected. The arguments made inside a London, Ont., courthouse since last Thursday centre around Howden's text conversation with Raddysh on June 26, 2018 — days after the alleged incident at the heart of the sexual assault trial of five of their ex-teammates. Story continues below advertisement Howden and Raddysh are not facing charges. 1:38 World junior trial witness Howden's testimony questioned over alleged inconsistencies Howden faced questions Thursday in a voir dire — essentially a trial within a trial — over that text conversation. In it, the Vegas Golden Knights forward describes some parts of the June 19, 2018, encounter, including a moment when he said one of the accused, Dillon Dube, slapped the female complainant on the buttocks. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Dude, I'm so happy I left when all the s–t went down haha,' the June 26, 2018, message reads. 'When I was leaving, Duber (Dube) was smacking this girl's a– so hard, like it looked like it hurt so bad.' The Crown wanted to introduce that text as evidence due to Howden's lack of memory on certain details of the events, as well as statements he has made in the past. Story continues below advertisement Howden teared up Thursday as he described feeling scared and nervous after learning Hockey Canada had launched an investigation into the encounter and realizing he would have to explain the situation to his parents and his girlfriend, now his wife. Dube, Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Callan Foote have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault stemming from what the Crown alleges was non-consensual group sex with a 20-year-old woman in McLeod's London, Ont., hotel room in June 2018. McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault. 2:00 Ex-teammates testify as world junior trial resumes by judge alone Court has heard the team was in town for events marking its gold-medal performance at that year's championship, and the woman, known as E.M. in court documents, was out with friends when they met at a downtown bar on June 18, 2018. Story continues below advertisement After being with McLeod and his teammates at the bar, E.M. would go on to have consensual sex with McLeod in his room in the early morning hours of June 19. Court has heard E.M., who testified she was drunk and not of a clear mind, was in the washroom after she had sex with McLeod and came out to a group of men in the room allegedly invited for a '3 way' by McLeod in a group chat. Defence lawyers have suggested E.M. wasn't as drunk as she has testified she was, wanted a 'wild night' with the players, was 'egging' them on to have sex with her and accused her of having a 'clear agenda' at the trial. E.M. has pushed back against those claims in a several-days-long cross-examination and at points outright rejected them, saying she was coaxed into staying in the room, was disrespected and was taken advantage of by the group who she said 'could see I was out of my mind.' The trial, which has seen two juries dismissed since it began in late April, is proceeding by judge alone and is expected to unfold over eight weeks.
Global News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Teammates of former world junior players testifying at sex assault trial
The sexual assault trial of five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team is hearing Friday from other players who were on the 2018 team. Taylor Raddysh, who now plays in the NHL for the Washington Capitals, was asked what he remembers about several days in June 2018 when many of the team's members were in London, Ont., for a handful of events marking their victory in that year's championship. Court heard part of a transcript of a statement Raddysh gave in July 2018, in which he recalled seeing a woman in bed under the covers in the room of his then-teammate Michael McLeod in the early hours of June 19. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In the statement, Raddysh said he wasn't in the room long and didn't know if the woman was clothed but that she 'seemed fine.' Story continues below advertisement 2:28 Active NHL players expected to testify at world junior sexual assault trial McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote have all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault, and McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault. Another former member of the team, Boris Katchouk, is now testifying remotely, as did Raddysh.
Global News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
NHL player testifies about group chat screenshot at world junior sex assault trial
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story contains details that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. An active NHL player testified Wednesday at the high-profile sexual assault trial involving five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team. Washington Capitals forward Taylor Raddysh testified remotely he was the one who took a screenshot of a group chat at the centre of the trial, which allegedly contained what Crown prosecutors are arguing was an invite to have non-consensual group sex with a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room in June 2018. Raddysh said he didn't remember when the message, which the Crown alleges was sent by Michael McLeod, came in or when he first saw it. McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote, have all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault. Story continues below advertisement Raddysh said he recalled very little from that night, when many of the team's members were in town for a gala celebrating the team's gold-medal win at that year's championship, even after reviewing transcripts from interviews he had with police in 2022 and lawyers in 2018. He was expected to continue his testimony Thursday, but the jury has been sent home due to an illness. 'I can't do this right now' Aside from Raddysh's testimony, a series of videos taken the night of the alleged group sexual assault were played in court Wednesday. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The videos, including one involving the female complainant, were taken in the early morning hours of June 19, 2018, at the Delta hotel and were shown in quick succession. 2:28 Active NHL players expected to testify at world junior sexual assault trial In one video taken at 4:26 a.m., a young woman can be seen holding a white towel against her body, smiling and looking into the camera. Story continues below advertisement 'It was all consensual,' she said, before asking if she was being filmed. 'You are so paranoid…. I enjoyed it,' she said, adding, 'I am so sober, that's why I can't do this right now.' In another video, taken about an hour earlier, someone asks the woman twice if she is 'OK with this.' Both times she agrees. Crown prosecutors had referred to the videos, which they allege were taken by McLeod, in their opening submissions to the jury on Monday. The Crown has said the complainant agreed to have sex with McLeod in his hotel room after meeting him at a downtown bar earlier in the night. In her opening remarks to the new jury on Monday, prosecutor Heather Donkers alleged McLeod started inviting other people into his hotel room afterwards. Donkers added that the Crown plans to argue the videos are not evidence that the complainant, who can't be identified under a publication ban, did in fact, consent. 2:11 London police officer testifies at world junior sex assault trial Jurors were also shown Wednesday a screenshot of a group chat, captured around 2:10 a.m. that day by Raddysh. Story continues below advertisement In it, McLeod asks if anyone wants to be in a 'three-way,' then follows up with his hotel room number and Hart replies, 'I'm in.' The Crown is alleging as many as 10 people were present at some point. It was then that several sexual acts took place without the woman's voluntary consent, the prosecution alleges. Raddysh said he remembers seeing McLeod and another teammate, Boris Katchouk, in McLeod's hotel room with a woman, but couldn't recall how the woman was positioned or if she was wearing clothes. He said he could not remember how long he stayed in the room, or why he left. Raddysh was also asked about another series of screenshots showing what he said were text messages between him and McLeod. In one, taken June 19, 2018, at 2:15 a.m., McLeod allegedly told Raddysh to come to his room if he wanted a 'gummer.' Raddysh told the court he understood that to mean 'oral sex.' He did not appear to reply to the message. Another screenshot, dated June 26 at 1:57 p.m., included two messages from Raddysh to McLeod. 'Bully just called me,' one said, followed by, 'Said there's an investigation.' Raddysh told the court he was referring to a Hockey Canada staff member and that he understood the investigation to relate to 'that night in London.' Story continues below advertisement — With files from The Canadian Press
Economic Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
NHL star testifies in 2018 sexual assault case involving his former Canada world junior teammates
AP A composite image of five photographs show former members of Canada's 2018 World Juniors hockey team, left to right; Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart. (Nicole Osborne/The Canadian Press via AP) A former member of Canada's 2018 world junior team was summoned to testify on Wednesday (April 30) as a Crown witness in a sexual assault case in which five of his then teammates are on trial as accused. Taylor Raddysh, currently a forward for the National Hockey League team Washington Capitals and the first player to testify in the case, appeared through video conferencing before the Ontario Superior Court in Canada's London from Virginia where he was in a practice five former team members of the 2018 world junior squad facing charges of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman in London's Delta Armouries hotel room are Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart. All of them were physically present in the court when Raddysh, who is not accused in the case, was stating what he saw in the hotel on the day the alleged crime took place. According to Raddysh, he was called by Michael McLeod, who is also facing a secondary charge of being party to sexual assault, to the latter's room where he saw the woman who later alleged the sexual assault lying on the bed. He revealed that the team was celebrating its win on June 18, 2018, at a local bar (Jack's) with players drinking and later received a few messages from McLeod on his mobile phone and he took their screenshots on the morning of June 19, 2018. He testified that he got the first message on June 19 after 2 am local time from McLeod. The two messages from McLeod, with the first one sent to the team's group with 19 member, had sexual connotations. One of the messages, which Mr. McLeod allegedly sent to the hockey team's 19-member group chat, read: "Who wants to be in a 3-way quick?": was the first message which was sent to the team's group while the other sent directly to McLeod read: "'come to my room' if he wanted oral sex, according to Canadian news portal two players were staying in adjacent rooms at the hotel. Raddysh went to see McLeod in the latter's room and added that he was there from a brief period but saw a woman in the hotel bed. When asked to reveal details if the woman was wearing clothes, Raddysh said, "Sitting here today, I don't remember."While he did not recollect the amount of time he spent in the room, he added that it was 'a very short time."After a week had passed following their hotel room interaction, Raddysh sent a message to McLeod informing him that he called by a Hockey Canada official who said "there's an investigation". All the messages that Raddysh spoke abbout were also shown to the court during the testimony, which is expected to continue on Thursday (May 1).All the five accused players have pleaded not woman, who cannot be identified, and is known as EM was seen arriving at Jack's bar with a female friend at around 11 pm as per the video footage presented in the Canadian junior team members were seen entering the bar after midnight. All the accused were part of the players were seen drinking and dancing in the footage. McLeod was also seen speaking to EM and the two were also recorded kissing each other inside the bar, Justice Maria Carroccia told the judge also pointed that the assault allegedly took place later when the woman went to the hotel with McLeod where the other accused joined them in the Heather Donkers told the jury that EM and McLeod indulged in consensual sex in the latter's hotel room. But after that more men came into the room and the woman did not to Donkers, EM will testify before the jury that 'she was in this hotel room, at age 20, intoxicated.' According to her allegations the accused did not seek her consent "when they touched her"., and "they just did what they wanted".One of the videos played in the court was taken from McLeod's phone in which the woman is seen asking the hockey player if he was recording her. 'Are you recording me? Ok, good. It was all consensual. You are so paranoid, holy. I enjoyed it, it was fine. It was all consensual,' quoted.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
NHL star testifies in 2018 sexual assault case involving his former Canada world junior teammates
A former member of Canada's 2018 world junior team was summoned to testify on Wednesday (April 30) as a Crown witness in a sexual assault case in which five of his then teammates are on trial as accused. Taylor Raddysh , currently a forward for the National Hockey League team Washington Capitals and the first player to testify in the case, appeared through video conferencing before the Ontario Superior Court in Canada's London from Virginia where he was in a practice session. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Nuclear Power! How India and Pakistan's arsenals stack up Does America have a plan to capture Pakistan's nuclear weapons? Airspace blockade: India plots a flight path to skip Pakistan The five former team members of the 2018 world junior squad facing charges of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman in London's Delta Armouries hotel room are Alex Formenton , Cal Foote, Michael McLeod , Dillon Dube and Carter Hart. All of them were physically present in the court when Raddysh, who is not accused in the case, was stating what he saw in the hotel on the day the alleged crime took place. According to Raddysh, he was called by Michael McLeod, who is also facing a secondary charge of being party to sexual assault, to the latter's room where he saw the woman who later alleged the sexual assault lying on the bed. He revealed that the team was celebrating its win on June 18, 2018, at a local bar (Jack's) with players drinking and dancing. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by He later received a few messages from McLeod on his mobile phone and he took their screenshots on the morning of June 19, 2018. He testified that he got the first message on June 19 after 2 am local time from McLeod. The two messages from McLeod, with the first one sent to the team's group with 19 member, had sexual connotations. Live Events One of the messages, which Mr. McLeod allegedly sent to the hockey team's 19-member group chat, read: "Who wants to be in a 3-way quick?": was the first message which was sent to the team's group while the other sent directly to McLeod read: "'come to my room' if he wanted oral sex, according to Canadian news portal The two players were staying in adjacent rooms at the hotel. Raddysh went to see McLeod in the latter's room and added that he was there from a brief period but saw a woman in the hotel bed. When asked to reveal details if the woman was wearing clothes, Raddysh said, "Sitting here today, I don't remember." While he did not recollect the amount of time he spent in the room, he added that it was 'a very short time." After a week had passed following their hotel room interaction, Raddysh sent a message to McLeod informing him that he called by a Hockey Canada official who said "there's an investigation". All the messages that Raddysh spoke abbout were also shown to the court during the testimony, which is expected to continue on Thursday (May 1). All the five accused players have pleaded not guilty. The woman, who cannot be identified, and is known as EM was seen arriving at Jack's bar with a female friend at around 11 pm as per the video footage presented in the court. Several Canadian junior team members were seen entering the bar after midnight. All the accused were part of the group. The players were seen drinking and dancing in the footage. McLeod was also seen speaking to EM and the two were also recorded kissing each other inside the bar, Justice Maria Carroccia told the jury. The judge also pointed that the assault allegedly took place later when the woman went to the hotel with McLeod where the other accused joined them in the room. Prosecutor Heather Donkers told the jury that EM and McLeod indulged in consensual sex in the latter's hotel room. But after that more men came into the room and the woman did not consent. According to Donkers, EM will testify before the jury that 'she was in this hotel room, at age 20, intoxicated.' According to her allegations the accused did not seek her consent "when they touched her"., and "they just did what they wanted". One of the videos played in the court was taken from McLeod's phone in which the woman is seen asking the hockey player if he was recording her. 'Are you recording me? Ok, good. It was all consensual. You are so paranoid, holy. I enjoyed it, it was fine. It was all consensual,' quoted.
