Devils forwards Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, along with two other current NHL players, are facing sexual assault charges in Canada for an alleged incident in 2018 and are expected to turn themselves in to police within the next week. Was told.
Lawyers representing Mr. McLeod, David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein, confirmed that Mr. McLeod had been charged in the case.
“More than five and a half years after Mr. EM first filed a police complaint, we can confirm that London Police have charged Mike McLeod with sexual assault,” Humphrey and Weinstein said in a statement. mentioned in. According to Sportsnet. Mr. McLeod denies wrongdoing. He maintains his innocence and plans to defend himself vigorously. No evidence has been presented, much less tested in court. We ask the public to respect the privacy of Mr. McLeod and his family.
“As this matter is currently before the courts, we will not be commenting further at this time.”
McLeod, Foote, Flyers goaltender Carter Hart and Flames forward Dillon Dube were accused of sexual assault in June 2018 at a luxury London hotel after a Hockey Canada celebration in Ontario. He was instructed to hand himself in to London police. According to TSN.
Former NHL player Alex Formenton (currently playing overseas in Switzerland) has also been charged. surrendered to the authorities on sunday.
All five players were part of the 2018 World Junior Championship Canada team that won the gold medal at the IIHF’s annual tournament in Buffalo in 2018.
London Police will hold a press conference on February 5 to update the public on the incident.
The Globe and Mail reported last week that London police had instructed five members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team to surrender on sexual assault charges.
Prior to that, all were granted time off by their respective teams, with the Flyers describing the reason for Hart’s resignation as “personal.”
The Devils have not disclosed the reasons for McLeod and Foote’s absences.
The Flames previously said Dube had left the team to attend to his “mental health” and was “under the care of medical professionals.”
TSN reports that when players turn themselves in, they will be photographed and fingerprinted, and will then sign a legally binding agreement not to have any contact with the alleged victim. It is said to become.
The victim, identified only as EM in court documents related to the civil case, met the man at a bar in downtown London, broke up with him, had consensual sex with him at a hotel, and later told the man claims to have invited other players to the room. Having sex with her without her consent.
London police became aware of the alleged assault days after the incident, but closed the case without filing charges in February 2019.
A civil lawsuit has been filed against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League, and eight unnamed players in connection with the incident.
Hockey Canada quietly resolved the civil suit, but publicity sparked a public outcry that forced the governing body and the NHL to launch an investigation, which London police reopened in July 2022.
In the second half of 2022, authorities said in a court filing. It claimed there were reasonable grounds to believe that five members of Canada’s world junior team committed sexual assault.
