Former 2018 Team Canada World Junior players Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod were found not guilty of sexual assault in a London, Ontario, courtroom Thursday afternoon.
McLeod also was found not guilty of a second charge of sexual assault stemming from the same incident in June 2018 for “being a party to the offense” and what the Crown called “assisting and encouraging his teammates to engage sexually” with E.M., the woman who alleged assault.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia announced her decisions in the case Thursday, nearly six weeks after the trial concluded. The trial was decided by judge after two jury dismissals, the first resulting in a mistrial and the second in a bench trial.
Michael McLeod is seen arriving at the London Courthouse, Thursday, July 24, 2025. AP
Alex Formenton seen arriving at the London Courthouse. APThe charges related to a well-publicized incident in which E.M., whose identity is protected in Canada by a publication ban, alleged a group sexual assault in a London hotel room at the hands of players who were at an event celebrating Canada’s victory in the World Juniors earlier that year.
As part of her explanation Thursday, Carroccia said she did not find E.M. to be a reliable witness, that her statements were inconsistent, that she exaggerated her level of drunkenness and that she had opportunities to end the night.
Supporters of the complainant, E.M., whose identity is protected under a standard publication ban, protest outside the courthouse before a judge announces the verdict in the trial of five members of Canada’s 2018 gold medal–winning world junior hockey team. REUTERS
“I conclude that I cannot rely on [her testimony],” Carroccia told the courtroom, per reporters in London.
For a sexual assault conviction in Canada, the Crown, which brought the case, needed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was non-consensual sexual touching. With the exception of Foote, the main question in the trial was about consent.
Dillon Dube is seen arriving at the London Courthouse in London. AP“Having found that I cannot rely upon the evidence of E.M. and then considering the evidence in this trial as a whole, I conclude that the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me,” Carroccia said.
Crown attorney Meghan Cunningham told reporters outside the courthouse that they will “carefully review Justice Carroccia’s decision” and that the Crown has no further comment. The Crown has 30 days to appeal the decision if it so chooses.
During her testimony, E.M. said she met McLeod at Jack’s, a bar in London, and had consensual sex with him at his hotel. After that, E.M. said McLeod invited teammates to his room to have sex with her without her knowledge or consent.
Carter Hart is seen arriving at the London Courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, July 24, 2025. APE.M. alleged she was pressured to engage in oral sex with McLeod, Hart and Dube and vaginal sex with Formenton. She also alleged she was slapped on the buttocks and that Foote did the splits over her, grazing his genitals over her face. Hart testified that Foote was fully clothed while doing the splits; E.M. testified that he was naked.
The Crown argued that although E.M. may have appeared eager to engage in sex, she was acting out of fear. E.M. described going on “autopilot” during the night as a trauma response.
The defense argued that E.M. was not a credible witness, saying that she urged McLeod to invite his teammates to the hotel room and insulted them when they did not engage in sex with her.
The Crown also alleged that players used a group chat to create a false story that negatively portrayed E.M. Carroccia said Thursday she believed the group text was an honest portrayal of the players’ perception of the night.
Carroccia said Thursday that by acting in a sexual manner, masturbating and asking men to have sex with her, E.M. established a willingness to engage in sexual activity.
Supporters of the complainant, E.M., whose identity is protected under a standard publication ban, protest outside the courthouse before a judge announces the verdict in the trial of five members of Canada’s 2018 gold medal–winning world junior hockey team REUTERSNone of the five players charged played in the NHL this past season. McLeod and Dube, who were playing for the Devils and Flames, respectively, when their names were released, played last season in Russia’s KHL. Hart took an indefinite leave of absence from the Flyers, and his contract expired last summer. Foote, who had bounced around a number of NHL organizations, played last season in Slovakia. Formenton last played in the NHL in 2022 with the Senators and did not play professional hockey last season.
The allegations were made public in May 2022 via a TSN report that Hockey Canada had settled a civil lawsuit with E.M. After another report from The Globe and Mail later that year, which said Hockey Canada had used money partially drawn from registration fees to settle allegations of sexual abuse, the CEO and board of directors of Hockey Canada resigned, and a number of major sponsors dropped the organization.
