Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia has declared a mistrial in the case against five former world junior hockey players accused of sexual assault in a London hotel in 2018. The accused players, all of whom had NHL careers, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The mistrial was declared after legal discussions between lawyers and the judge, with a new jury set to be chosen. The reasons for the mistrial cannot be reported due to a ban on trial proceedings without the jury present.
Criminal lawyer Sam Puchala explained that a mistrial is declared to prevent a miscarriage of justice due to unfairness or an appearance of unfairness in the trial. The complainant’s identity is protected by a publication ban, as is standard in sexual assault cases. The players involved in the case had various professional hockey careers at the time the charges were announced.
The case dates back to a gala celebrating the world junior hockey team’s gold-medal win, where the incident allegedly took place at a London hotel. The accused players, including Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, and Alex Formenton, are currently in different stages of their hockey careers or other professions. The mistrial comes as a surprise following the selection of a jury for the trial, and a new jury will be chosen to hear the case in the future.
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