Prosecutors begin presenting their case in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial

LONDON Ontario AP Prosecutors allege five members of Canada s world junior hockey squad did what they desired to an intoxicated young woman in a London Ontario hotel room in June of that year after she had consensual sex with one of them Prosecutor Heather Donkers gave jurors an overview of the evidence the regime expects to present as the sexual assault trial of Dillon Dube Carter Hart Michael McLeod Cal Foote and Alex Formenton began Wednesday The players have all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault In her opening report Donkers commented the complainant who cannot be identified under a standard publication ban met McLeod Dube and specific others at a bar on the same night that multiple of the group s members attended a gala in the city She noted the complainant is expected to testify that she had about eight drinks at the bar and later went with McLeod to his hotel room where they had consensual sex The prosecution declared the atmosphere in the room changed soon afterward and McLeod invited several teammates into the room while the complainant lay naked under the covers In a group chat with band members McLeod demanded Who wants to be in a three-way quick the prosecution stated He also went into the hallway and invited people into the room Donkers explained Before long more and more men began arriving in room with up to present at chosen point Donkers stated the court The complainant is expected to testify that she felt drunk surprised and unsure of how to act the prosecution stated Various eyewitnesses may testify that the complainant at times offered to perform certain sexual acts and petitioned if anyone was going to have sex with her Donkers commented The prosecution is expected to say she was going along with what the men in the room craved and what she felt they expected of her because she was drunk uncomfortable and she did not know what would happen if she did anything the prosecutor reported Each of the five players is alleged to have had sexual contact with the complainant without her voluntarily agreeing to those specific acts Donkers commented The prosecution anticipates jurors will not hear that the complainant explained no to specific sexual acts or that she was physically resisting but will hear that she felt she had no choice She uncovered herself going through the motions just trying to get through the night by doing and saying what she held that they longed Donkers stated the court She declared it s expected jurors will hear the accused took no initiatives to ensure there was affirmative consent but just did what they desired This is a affair about consent And equally as major this is a circumstance about what is not consent she revealed The court will hear testimony from a police officer who became involved in the assessment in The trial is expected to last approximately eight weeks Dube Hart McLeod and Foote were in the NHL last season when they were charged while Formenton was playing in Europe None of them are on an NHL roster or have an developing contract with a association in the league AP NHL https apnews com hub nhl Source