Police chief apologizes for lengthy investigation in Carter Hart sexual assault case; Flyers goalie not present for first court hearing
Five members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team face sexual assault charges.
The London Police Service in Ontario offered updates Monday on sexual assault charges involving members of the 2018 Canadian world junior hockey team.
Flyers goaltender Carter Hart is one of five players facing charges, and was granted a leave of absence on Jan. 23.
Hart and the other defendants weren't present Monday morning during the first court hearing in the case. The next hearing is scheduled for April 30.
Hart has not been suspended, but NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he and the other NHL players facing charges will be on paid leave through the end of the season.
The four other players facing charges are former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton, Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dubé, New Jersey Devils forward Michael McLeod, and defenseman Cal Foote.
London police say ‘additional evidence’ led to reopening of the 2018 sexual assault case involving Carter Hart
Flyers goaltender Carter Hart has been formally charged with one count of sexual assault, the chief of the London, Ontario, police service confirmed on Monday.
Hart is one of five players from the 2018 Canadian World Junior team facing charges stemming from an alleged sexual assault at a London hotel in June 2018. The investigation, originally opened just days after the events took place and closed in February 2019 without charges being filed, was reopened through a comprehensive review by the London police of the case on July 28, 2022.
“This review involved reexamining initial investigative steps, gathering additional evidence, and obtaining new information. As a result, we have found sufficient grounds to charge five adult males with sexual assault,” London police chief Thai Truong said.
Hockey Canada says it has cooperated with investigation: 'In the past we have been too slow to act'
Following the press conference held by police in London, Ontario, announcing five players from the 2018 Canadian World Junior team are facing sexual assault charges, Hockey Canada issued a press release stating the organization “has cooperated fully with the London Police Service throughout its investigation.”
It also added that all players from the 2018 team remain suspended from participating in Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs. This includes international tournaments. An appeal was filed in November 2023 in response to an investigation into whether any players from the 2018 team breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct and should face sanctions, and the process is ongoing.
“Hockey Canada recognizes that in the past we have been too slow to act and that in order to deliver the meaningful change that Canadians expect of us, we must work diligently and urgently to ensure that we are putting in place the necessary measures to regain their trust, and provide all participants with a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment on and off the ice,” Katherine Henderson, president and chief executive officer of Hockey Canada, said in the press release.
— Jackie Spiegel
Officials used the 'Philadelphia Model' to investigate sexual assault allegations. Here's what that means.
London, Ontario, police have adopted a growing best practice in police investigations of sexual assaults known as “the Philadelphia Model,” officials said Monday in announcing charges against Carter Hart and four other members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team.
But Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann, the lead investigator on the probe, said a review committee of outside experts — created as part of that implementation — did not review the 2018-2019 investigation that was closed without charges.
What is the Philadelphia Model and how did this investigative practice get its name?
Lead investigator has not spoken to NHL 'over the last several months'
With the case involving four current NHL players and one former player, the league opened its own investigation in 2022.
On Friday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated that the year-long process included interviewing every player from the 2018 Canadian World Junior team.
According to Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann, the lead investigator in London, Ontario, the recent individual investigations by Hockey Canada and the NHL “did add complexity to the case.” She also said, “I have not spoken to anyone from the NHL over the last several months.”
— Jackie Spiegel
Accuser is 'committed to seeing this process through'
Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann, the lead investigator on the reopened investigation, read a statement from legal representatives of the accuser, whom authorities have only identified by the initials E.M..
“It takes an incredible amount of courage for any survivor of sexual assault to report to police and participate in the criminal justice system, and that is certainly the case for E.M.,” the statement read. “But she is committed to seeing this process through.”
— Jeremy Roebuck
Police have had 'varying levels of participation' from former players during investigation, officials say
Flyers goaltender Carter Hart and four other members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team have been charged with sexual assault stemming from a 2018 incident in a hotel room in London, Canada.
Could more former players end up facing charges?
“We have laid charges for all the charges that we have reasonable grounds for,” Detective Sergeant Katherine Dann told reporters Monday.
Officials decline to say whether earlier investigation into sexual assault allegations met professional standards
Thai Truong, chief of the London, Ontario police service, declined to say Monday whether the 2018-2019 investigation into E.M.’s sexual assault allegations that resulted in no charges against Hart and the four other members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team met with his professional standards.
Though police took the woman’s statement days after the alleged assault and investigated for several months, they ultimately determined in early 2019 that there was not enough evidence to bring a case.
Asked during a news conference Monday whether he believed that earlier probe met his standards for how a sexual assault case should be investigated, Truong did not answer, citing the ongoing legal case against the hockey players.
Police chief apologizes to victim 'for the amount of time that it has taken to reach this point'
Thai Truong, the chief of police for the London Police Service in London, Ontario, apologized to a woman who reported that she was sexually assaulted by members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior hockey team.
“I want to extend, on behalf of the London Police Service, my sincerest apology to the victim and her family for the amount of time that it has taken to reach this point,” Truong said at a press conference Monday.
Truong said the initial investigation began in June 2018, but was closed in February 2019, with investigators determining that there were insufficient grounds to file any charges. A comprehensive review was conducted, which included gathering additional evidence and obtaining new information.
Watch: Ontario police give update on 2018 sexual assault investigation involving Carter Hart
The judge in Hart's hearing ordered a 'publication ban.' Here's what that means.
The judge presiding over Monday's first court appearance for Carter Hart and the four other members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team charged with sexual assault issued what is known in Canadian law as a “publication ban” in the case — an order for which there is no exact equivalent in U.S. law.
So what does that mean?
Publication bans prevent all of the parties in the case from publicly publishing or broadcasting any identifiable information of the accuser and key witnesses — similar to protective orders sometimes issued in U.S. court proceedings to to protect the privacy of victims.
Carter Hart, other codefendants not present during first court hearing
Neither Carter Hart nor any of his codefendants — the four other former members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team charged alongside him — were present for Monday’s first court hearing in the case.
Each left it to their attorneys to handle the short, largely perfunctory proceeding over Zoom, in which the court laid out the timeline for the case to proceed and set a next hearing date for April 30.
Attorney Megan Savard, representing Hart, answered in clipped responses as the judge ran through a series of pro forma questions to ensure her client was aware of how the proceedings would play out and whether he chose for the case to proceed in English or in French.
Canadian authorities to offer updates on sexual assault charges
Flyers goalie Carter Hart is one of five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team who have been charged with sexual assault following their alleged involvement in an incident at a London hotel room in June 2018 following a Hockey Canada banquet.
Former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton, Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dubé, New Jersey Devils forward Michael McLeod, and defenseman Cal Foote have also been charged.
Each player is facing one count of sexual assault, except for McLeod, who is facing an additional charge for “being a party to the offense.” Canada’s Criminal Code defines a “party to the offense” as “anyone who actually commits an offense, does or omits to do anything for the purpose of aiding a person to commit the offense, or abets a person in committing the offense.”
Carter Hart, three other NHL players not suspended while facing sexual assault charges
There were no formal suspensions handed down by the NHL last week for the four players charged in connection to an alleged 2018 sexual assault.
But league commissioner Gary Bettman was adamant that Flyers goalie Carter Hart, as well as the three other NHL players, won’t be playing any time soon.
“They’re all away from their teams on leave,” Bettman said. “And they’re all free agents. They won’t be under contract after the season anyway.”
What we know about the Hockey Canada sexual assault investigation
Hockey Canada held a fundraising banquet on June 18, 2018, in London that included most members of the 2018 gold medal-winning World Junior team. After the banquet, a 20-year-old woman met members of the team at a local bar and later was allegedly sexually assaulted by several players in a player’s hotel room.
The next day, the woman’s stepfather told Hockey Canada that his stepdaughter said she was sexually assaulted by eight hockey players, including members of the 2018 World Junior team, while intoxicated the night before.
The woman alleged that she went to a hotel room with a player where the two engaged in consensual sexual acts before the player “without her knowledge or consent” allowed seven other players, including members of the World Junior team, into the room. According to her 2022 statement of claim, she alleged that those players intimidated her and sexually assaulted her over several hours while she was too intoxicated to provide consent.
What have the Flyers said about Carter Hart?
On Jan. 24, Flyers general manager Danny Brière denied knowing why Carter Hart had requested a leave of absence from the team.
“We are aware of this morning’s press reports on the very serious matter,” Brière read from a prepared statement. “We will respond appropriately when the outcomes of the investigations are made public. The NHL has been very clear that teams should refer all investigation-related questions to them. In the meantime, members of the organization, including Flyers players, will not be commenting any further. So that’s all we can say at the moment, unfortunately.”
The Flyers released the following statement on Jan. 30 following a tweet from Hart’s lawyers announcing Hart had been charged with one count of sexual assault.