The Hockey Canada sexual assault trial is making headlines again, as more personal messages from the complainant were shared in court. This trial is about a serious accusation involving five hockey players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior team. The woman, known as E.M. because her identity is protected by a publication ban, says she was sexually assaulted in a hotel room after a Hockey Canada event in June 2018.
The players charged are former NHL players Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foote. All of them have pleaded not guilty. McLeod also faces an extra charge and has pleaded not guilty to that as well.
What the Text Messages Showed in Court
On Monday, Dube’s lawyer, Lisa Carnelos, read out text messages between E.M. and her best friend from June 2018, just after the night of the alleged assault. These texts were sent between June 19 and June 22.
E.M.’s friend first messaged her the morning after the night in question, after receiving a call from her around 5:00 a.m. During the call, E.M. was crying and had just left the Delta Armouries Hotel. But when she replied to her friend’s message later, E.M. simply said she was okay and that she had been “a little overdramatic.” She did not talk about any sexual assault at that time.
As the cross-examination continued, more messages were read. E.M. eventually opened up and told her friend she felt “dirty and used” after what happened. The lawyer asked why she didn’t tell her friend everything right away. E.M. said she didn’t want to bother anyone with her problems and was trying to act like it didn’t happen. She added, “I didn’t want to say those words (sexual assault) because then it would be true.”
More Details from the Messages
The messages also showed that E.M. and her friend discussed McLeod. The friend wrote, “He seemed really chill at the bar. You couldn’t have known he was going to be such an a–hole, so you can’t blame yourself.”
E.M. also texted about feeling guilty for cheating on her boyfriend that night. On June 22, she revealed to her friend that the men involved were well-known hockey players. She texted, “The group of guys are all high-up hockey players. Go figure. LMAO.”
More Cross-Examination by Another Lawyer
Earlier in the same court session, Alex Formenton’s lawyer, Daniel Brown, continued questioning E.M. He asked about her weight at the time of the incident. E.M. had said she was 120 pounds, but her medical records showed 138 pounds. Brown said she may have changed her weight to make the size difference between her and the players seem bigger. E.M. denied this, saying she didn’t weigh herself often.
Brown then focused on what happened in the hotel room. He suggested that E.M. may have encouraged the players. He asked her if she had said, “Are you going to f— me or play golf?” E.M. said she didn’t remember saying that and didn’t think it sounded like her.
Brown also brought up an alleged encounter in the bathroom with Formenton. He said E.M. led Formenton there, but she denied it, saying she was just going to the bathroom and he followed her.
In his final question, Brown suggested that E.M. reported the incident to police mainly to make sure that any videos or photos from the night were deleted from the players’ phones. E.M. firmly denied that claim.
This case continues to reveal complex and emotional details. The complainant’s messages and her testimony show how difficult it can be to talk about such painful experiences. The defense lawyers are trying to raise doubts about her claims, but E.M. has stood by her story so far. As the trial moves ahead, more facts are expected to come out, and the court will decide what really happened that night in June 2018.
