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Hamilton Spectator
12 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Complainant ‘actually quite upset' police reopened Hockey Canada sex assault case, London detective testifies
The complainant in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case 'was actually quite upset' when a London, Ont., police detective broke the news to her in 2022 that the force was taking a second look at its initial investigation that had led to no criminal charges , the detective testified Monday as the high-profile trial wrapped up. 'I felt pretty bad because it felt like ... I got the sense that I was opening up some wounds that she was trying to close,' said Det. Lyndsey Ryan, who was tasked in the summer of 2022 with leading the reopened probe. 'I think it was a bit overwhelming. She wasn't expecting this.' Ryan was the last witness to testify at the trial, with closing arguments expected to begin next Monday. Of the five former members of the 2018 Canadian world junior championship team on trial, only player Carter Hart ended up testifying in his own defence, telling the court that his sexual contact with the complainant was consensual. The complainant had alleged that she was sexually assaulted by multiple members of the team in a room at the Delta Armouries hotel in the early hours of June 19, 2018, when she was 20 years old. London police initially declined to lay any criminal charges in February 2019. As the Star reported last month , lead detective Steve Newton felt the video surveillance footage of the complainant walking unaided in heels contradicted her assertion she was too intoxicated to consent. Cellphone videos taken of the complainant in the hotel room, in which she says 'it was all consensual ,' also led Newton to have doubts that a crime had been committed, as he wondered in his report whether the complainant had been an 'active participant' in the hotel room. The force decided to review its initial investigation amid intense public pressure in 2022, after TSN reported that Hockey Canada had settled, for an undisclosed sum, a $3.5-million lawsuit filed by the complainant that year against the organization and eight unnamed John Doe players. London police documents make clear the high-profile sex assault investigation was reopened in 2022 due to 'a resurgence in media attention' — with London police documents make clear the high-profile sex assault investigation was reopened in 2022 due to 'a resurgence in media attention' — with London police ultimately charged Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foote in early 2024 with sexual assault, though at the time remained silent on why they had reopened their investigation. The force acknowledged in court filings it was as a result of public scrutiny, noting 'the media attention surrounding this event is significant.' Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia also pressed Ryan on Monday at the players' trial to answer why the force was taking a second look. 'We just wanted to make sure any loose ends were tied up if there were any, so it was a review to make sure everything was done properly,' Ryan testified. Carroccia continued: 'A review because of the Hockey Canada resolution of the civil suit?' Ryan replied: 'Yes, exactly.' Ryan was actually called to the stand by Formenton's lawyer, Daniel Brown, who just briefly asked her whether his client had a criminal record. She confirmed he doesn't. Brown indicated to the court he will not be calling his client to testify in his own defence, especially given the fact the Crown has already entered Formenton's police interview in 2018 as an exhibit , in which he maintains he engaged in consensual intercourse with the complainant in the hotel room bathroom. A similar reason was given last week for why McLeod won't be testifying. Lawyers for Dube and Foote also confirmed Monday they will not be testifying. The only player to testify in his own defence is Hart, who said he asked the complainant for oral sex and she said yes . Court records show that London police approached the case from a different angle in 2022: that although the complainant never said no and didn't physically resist, she only went along with the sexual activity because she was intimidated to be in a room full of men she didn't know, and the players should have known she wasn't actually consenting. One of the few new pieces of evidence in 2022 was a statement the complainant told Ryan about, which she had prepared for separate probes being conducted by Hockey Canada and the NHL . The complainant told Ryan that she believed the statement would 'clarify' some of those organizations' questions. The players were 'compelled' to sit for an interview with Hockey Canada. But they weren't told the investigator knew police wanted access to her The players were 'compelled' to sit for an interview with Hockey Canada. But they weren't told the investigator knew police wanted access to her The complainant acknowledged in her testimony at the trial this year that the statement is riddled with errors and was actually written by her civil lawyers. Ryan said on Monday she thought there were 'important' differences between what the complainant told London police in 2018 and what she wrote in her statement in 2022, while confirming she never re-interviewed the complainant as part of the reopened probe. Hart's lawyer, Riaz Sayani, asked Ryan if that's because police felt the new statement was an 'effective substitute' for a police interview. 'No,' Ryan said. 'The main reason was we thought we had everything we needed from her and a re-interview would have retraumatizing.' She said it was 'possible' she would have re-interviewed the complainant if she didn't have the statement. Sayani pressed Ryan on whether she thought this statement was 'helpful' in making the case for criminal charges against the players. 'Not sure if I would say it was helpful,' Ryan said. 'It did clarify some points. It didn't hurt either.' Ryan did agree with Sayani's suggestion that the statement provided a 'new interpretation' of what happened in that hotel room in 2018. While Ryan felt the complainant had blamed herself in her 2018 interview with police, in her 2022 statement she seemed to understand that what had happened was not her fault. 'I believe this change can be attributed to her having had four years to think about the events and understand she was not to blame and that her acquiescence did not equal consent,' Ryan wrote in an excerpt of her report read in court. Ryan also never spoke with the work friends who were with the complainant at Jack's Bar the night she met McLeod. She later returned to his hotel room where they had consensual sex, only for multiple men to come in afterward, prompted by texts from McLeod. Sayani suggested that those friends could have provided a different version of events than what the complainant was saying, such as the fact that she actually bought most of her drinks herself rather than the players, and that her friends were messaging her at the bar trying to find her, asking if she wanted help to get away from McLeod, but she said she was fine. Ryan agreed the complainant never told her any of that. Sayani put to Ryan that if the complainant had told her, then police may have wanted to interview those friends to get a better sense of the complainant's state of intoxication and efforts to get away from McLeod. 'Correct, potentially, yeah,' Ryan said.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tommy Stevens feels at home in Roughriders' quarterback room
Despite being on a new team this year, quarterback Tommy Stevens is already comfortable in his surroundings. After signing with the Roughriders during free agency this off-season, the short-yardage specialist joined a club that already featured fellow quarterback and former Calgary Stampeders teammate Jake Maier — who was acquired by the Riders earlier in the off-season — along with offensive coordinator Marc Mueller, who was Calgary's quarterbacks coach for Stevens' first three seasons. In fact, reuniting with Mueller — who is in his second year as Saskatchewan's play caller — was one of the reasons Stevens chose the Roughriders in free agency. Playing in front of Saskatchewan's fan base as a member of the home team was another. 'I'd be lying to you if I told you I wasn't fired up that this was going to be a possibility,' Stevens said as the Roughriders prepare for Thursday's season opener (7 p.m., TSN) against the Ottawa Redblacks at Mosaic Stadium. 'Glad it all worked out. Really happy to be here. I mean, this place is incredible. I think it's nicer every time I'm in here. 'I'm glad I won't be a visitor in here. I'm glad this will be home.' In his three years with the Stampeders, the 28-year-old Stevens developed into one of the CFL's elite short-yardage specialists. Last year, he rushed the ball 60 times for 237 yards — a four-yard average — with 10 rushing touchdowns, which was tied for the league lead. Along with Maier, Stevens joins a quarterback in Saskatchewan room that also features veteran starter Trevor Harris and second-year pivot Jack Coan, who played college football at Notre Dame before coming to Saskatchewan in 2024. 'Obviously me and Jake have been pretty close for, I guess this will be going on the fourth season we've been together,' said Stevens. 'But coming in with the new guys with Trev and Jack, they've been great. 'I think that's super important. And especially in our room — only one guy can play, right. So being able to have that kind of relationship, being able to bounce ideas off of each other. 'Obviously, Trevor's been around for a while, and Jack's played some big-time football too, so just being able to hear their perspective on things, how they go about their process, how they read certain plays, what they think that we should do on whatever it may be, it's been helpful.' For Mueller, the familiarity of having worked with Maier and Stevens in the past has helped the cohesion in the quarterback room this year. 'It's a lot easier because I know those guys,' said Mueller. 'They work well together and they work well with the group and they're both smart guys, and they work hard. 'I think that the whole group, all four guys, have been really good to work with and be around. It's a really good group.' While Stevens got limited action in Saskatchewan's two pre-season games — throwing the ball three times while also rushing three time in the first exhibition game before getting one rush attempt that was negated due to a penalty in the second game — the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Indianapolis native is expected to be used in the regular season any time the Roughriders are facing a short-yardage situation. Without giving away any playbook secrets, he'll also likely get into the game with other packages designed around his running ability. 'No matter who you have in there, whether it's a different left guard or a different centre, you want to try to make them be the best versions of themselves,' said Mueller. 'And you want them to feel like there's plays in the game plan that highlight their best skills. 'So, whether it's Tommy or whether it's one of the receivers or the right tackle or (running back A.J. Ouellette), you want to get their best foot forward and put in plays that they feel will work.' Offensive lineman Jacob Brammer (back) missed Monday's practice after leaving Sunday's workout midway through with an injury. However, it doesn't appear to be serious according to head coach Corey Mace. 'Just being smart here,' said Mace. 'It was just a little tweak yesterday wo we're just being smart with it so he can be available for game day.' American rookie Payton Collins practised at left tackle with Trevon Tate moving to left guard and Zack Fry shifting to right guard in place of Brammer for many of the offensive reps. 'Collins has had an excellent camp,' said Mace. 'And we want to make sure that, if Jacob's not practising, that we get quality reps with guys who have potential.' tshire@ Roughriders hit the field for Day 1 of regular season practice Roughriders make final roster cuts; finalize active roster for 2025 The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Crown cross-examines Carter Hart in hockey sexual assault trial
Watch TSN's Rick Westhead reports from a London, Ontario courthouse where the trial for five hockey players accused of sexual assault continues.
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
‘22 Minutes,' Nelly Furtado among early Canadian Screen Award winners
TORONTO - CBC sketch comedy 'This Hour Has 22 Minutes,' TSN's soccer coverage and singer Nelly Furtado were among the big winners at the first of several Canadian Screen Awards galas. A ceremony for news, entertainment and sports categories named the 'I'm Like a Bird' singer best host of a live entertainment special for steering the 2024 Juno Awards, which also won best live entertainment special. The biggest haul went to CBC's long-running satirical news show, which claimed four wins in sketch comedy categories – for best program, writing, direction and performance. The title for best national newscast went to CTV News' 'National News with Omar Sachedina,' best news or information series went to CBC's 'The Fifth Estate,' and best talk or entertainment news series went to CTV's 'The Good Stuff with Mary Berg.' Best news anchor went to Adrienne Arsenault for her work on CBC's 'The National,' best national reporter went to Jeff Semple of 'Global National,' and best local reporter went to CBC Indigenous's Jackie McKay. Another bash set for Friday evening was set to honour documentary, factual, lifestyle and reality categories. Two galas on Saturday will cover the bulk of awards in the film and television categories. Marquee categories for top winners in Canadian film, television and digital media will be announced Sunday and broadcast by CBC. On Friday, TSN's coverage of the 2024 Copa America earned three wins — for best sports program, opening and host, for James Duthie. CBC's coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics nabbed one win, for best sports play-by-play for Mark Lee. Best local news cast and local news anchor went to 'Global BC News Hour' and its deskers Chris Gailus and Sophie Lui. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
'22 Minutes,' Nelly Furtado among early Canadian Screen Award winners
TORONTO – CBC sketch comedy 'This Hour Has 22 Minutes,' TSN's soccer coverage and singer Nelly Furtado were among the big winners at the first of several Canadian Screen Awards galas. A ceremony for news, entertainment and sports categories named the 'I'm Like a Bird' singer best host of a live entertainment special for steering the 2024 Juno Awards, which also won best live entertainment special. The biggest haul went to CBC's long-running satirical news show, which claimed four wins in sketch comedy categories – for best program, writing, direction and performance. The title for best national newscast went to CTV News' 'National News with Omar Sachedina,' best news or information series went to CBC's 'The Fifth Estate,' and best talk or entertainment news series went to CTV's 'The Good Stuff with Mary Berg.' Best news anchor went to Adrienne Arsenault for her work on CBC's 'The National,' best national reporter went to Jeff Semple of 'Global National,' and best local reporter went to CBC Indigenous's Jackie McKay. Another bash set for Friday evening was set to honour documentary, factual, lifestyle and reality categories. Two galas on Saturday will cover the bulk of awards in the film and television categories. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Marquee categories for top winners in Canadian film, television and digital media will be announced Sunday and broadcast by CBC. On Friday, TSN's coverage of the 2024 Copa America earned three wins — for best sports program, opening and host, for James Duthie. CBC's coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics nabbed one win, for best sports play-by-play for Mark Lee. Best local news cast and local news anchor went to 'Global BC News Hour' and its deskers Chris Gailus and Sophie Lui. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
