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LONDON, Ont. (AP) – The chief of police in London, Ont., issued a public apology Monday to a woman who says she was sexually assaulted. 5 hockey players We looked at Canada’s 2018 World Junior Team, which includes the four teams currently in the NHL, and how long it took to complete an investigation into an incident that has rocked the sport for years.
But Commissioner Thai Truong will need more time to provide details about why it took nearly six years to bring charges and why the initial investigation was closed in 2019 and reopened in 2022. Dew.
“On behalf of London Police, I would like to sincerely apologize to the victim and her family for the length of time it has taken to get to this point,” Truong told a news conference attended by dozens of journalists. .
“This shouldn’t take long. It shouldn’t take years to reach today’s results,” he added. “But I am confident that something like this will never happen again.”
As for the cause of the delay and how it reflects on his department, Truong reiterated that he could not go into details because it could jeopardize the prosecution of the case. That could include calling people involved in the first and second investigations as witnesses.
FILE – Michael McLeod of the New Jersey Devils watches during a break in an NHL hockey game on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, in Philadelphia. McLeod has been charged in connection with an investigation into allegations of sexual assault by several members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior Team, his lawyer announced on Tuesday, January 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Police in Ontario’s fifth-largest city, about halfway between Toronto and Detroit, have commented on the incident in the last 45 minutes since they charged the players with assaulting a woman in a downtown hotel room. It was the first press conference.
player Each was charged with one count of sexual assault. They are Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, New Jersey Devils’ Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, Calgary Flames’ Dillon Dube, and former NHL player Alex Formenton. McLeod was also charged with “being a party to a crime,” which police say is a crime of aiding and abetting another person’s crime.
Lawyers for all 5 players The customers said they were innocent and would defend themselves against the charges. The players, all on leave from the team, turned themselves in to London police last week and were released on unspecified conditions.
In a short video hearing Monday attended only by lawyers, prosecutors obtained an order protecting the woman’s identity and an order protecting the identities of two witnesses, which is common in sexual assault cases. Prosecutor Heather Donkers also said the defense would receive “significant” evidence within the next few days. The next hearing was scheduled for April 30th.
FILE – Team Canada poses for a photo after winning the gold medal with a 3-1 win over Sweden in the third period of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship title game on Friday, January 5, 2018 in Buffalo, New York. Players on Canada’s 2018 World Junior Team have been placed on leave from their respective clubs in recent days following reports that five members of the team have been asked to turn themselves in to police over sexual assault charges. New Jersey’s Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, Philadelphia’s Carter Hart, Calgary’s Dillon Dube and former NHL player Alex Formenton have been granted indefinite leave and were announced as unavailable this week. (Nathan Dennett/Canadian Press, via AP, File)
Detective Sgt. Katherine Dunn, from the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, said the reopened investigation had found reasonable and reasonable grounds for charges, which could result in a prison sentence if convicted. .
Dunn did not participate in the original investigation, although he oversaw the investigation after it was reopened under now-retired Police Chief Steve Williams. She said some of the evidence discovered “was not available at the time the investigation concluded in 2019.”
Like Truong, Dang could not answer many details, including whether others might be indicted. T There were 22 players here. 2018 team
The incident has cast a shadow over Canadian hockey for years.
Woman sues Hockey Canada In 2022, she claimed that she was sexually assaulted by eight members of the gold medal-winning world junior team in a hotel room after a fundraiser in London in June 2018. Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit, but a subsequent investigation revealed the organization had two secrets: a slush fund to pay for settlements over sexual assault and abuse allegations.
London police suspended the investigation in 2019, but launched an internal investigation in July 2022. Around the same time, the NHL also launched its own investigation, the results of which likely won’t be made public until the lawsuit is resolved.
“The most responsible and prudent thing for us to do at this stage is to wait for the conclusion of the judicial process, at which point we will respond appropriately.” Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday. At All-Star Weekend in Toronto. Players on leave will continue to be paid for the remainder of the season, but their clubs will receive salary cap relief.
Bettman said the league learned of the allegations on May 26, 2022. The NHL said it had interviewed all of the team’s players, adding that the woman involved refused to participate in the investigation.
Hockey Canada said it fully cooperated with London police throughout the investigation.
“Hockey Canada recognizes that we have acted too slowly in the past, and we need to ensure that we put in place the steps necessary for Hockey Canada’s recovery to bring about the meaningful change that Canadians expect from us.” We recognize that we must work diligently and urgently to “trust and provide a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for all participants on and off the ice.” said Katherine Henderson, who has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada.
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Whyno reported from Ashburn, Virginia. The Canadian Press contributed.
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AP Hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/hockey
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