Hockey Canada’s investigation of alleged 2018 group sexual assault is complete | 24CA News
WARNING: This article incorporates graphic content material and will have an effect on those that have skilled sexual violence or know somebody affected by it.
The investigation Hockey Canada launched into high-profile allegations of group sexual assault in 2018 involving World Junior gamers has wrapped up, the sports activities group mentioned.
The new chair of Hockey Canada’s board of administrators, retired choose Hugh Fraser, launched an announcement saying the investigator — Henein Hutchison, a regulation agency identified for its felony defence work — has delivered its report on the allegations.
The board is “still being briefed,” mentioned Fraser, including he isn’t revealing what the investigation discovered.
The investigation will now go via a Hockey Canada adjudication course of to find out “what sanction, if any, to impose” on the gamers allegedly concerned, Fraser mentioned within the media assertion. That course of will unfold out of the general public eye.
“The panel is proceeding in an in camera (confidential) process,” wrote Fraser within the assertion given to 24CA News. “As this proceeds, all information concerning the contents of the investigator’s report, the adjudication, and any appeal are held in the strictest confidence.”
Fraser mentioned the method is unfolding confidentially as a result of “we do not want to jeopardize the ongoing investigation of the London Police Service.”
The replace comes simply days after the Globe and Mail first reported new particulars in regards to the London police investigation, primarily based on interview transcripts and search warrants the newspaper went to courtroom to get unsealed.
The Crown prosecutor later shared copies of these paperwork with 24CA News that exposed London police imagine they’ve cheap grounds to accuse 5 World Junior hockey gamers of sexually assaulting a younger girl in a London, Ont. resort room in 2018.
The participant’s names have been redacted from the paperwork and their identities haven’t been made public.
Judge ordered regulation agency handy proof to police
Back in October, a choose ordered Henein Hutchison handy over to police the “fruits of the independent investigation” it performed.
The courtroom additionally ordered the regulation agency to supply London police with all interviews with members of the hockey workforce, the complainant, witnesses, coaches and workers.
Henein Hutchison’s accomplice and lead investigator on this case, Danielle Robitaille, informed a parliamentary committee in July that she had obtained a “range of evidence” after she “reached out to a number of witnesses.” Robitalle additionally informed MPs she interviewed seven coaches and workers members in regards to the alleged incident.
“I believe Danielle Robitaille has documents or data in her possession that would afford evidence in this case,” London police wrote of their request to the choose within the fall.
Hockey Canada’s mentioned in September that the “fruits of” the Henein Hutchison investigation have been confidential however it will waive client-solicitor privilege for the “limited purpose of cooperating” with the police investigation and would adjust to any judicial orders.
WATCH/ Documents reveal new particulars of alleged junior hockey sexual assault
Recently filed courtroom paperwork lay out why police are looking for search warrants to additional their investigation into 5 members of the 2018 World Junior hockey workforce they imagine have been concerned in an alleged sexual assault of a girl in London, Ont. None of the police allegations have been examined in courtroom and no costs have been laid.
Hockey Canada first contacted Henein Hutchison for authorized recommendation in June 2018, the day after a mom reported discovering her daughter crying within the bathe, clasping her knees and rocking forwards and backwards after returning house from a London, Ont. resort. She alleged she was sexually assaulted by a bunch of hockey gamers at that resort, in response to her interview with police. Her mom’s husband then then contacted Hockey Canada, the courtroom submitting mentioned.
Robitaille informed MPs she suggested the hockey group to report the matter to police. Hockey Canada later commissioned that identical agency to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations.
Henein Hutchison at one level closed the investigation, arguing it could not interview the remaining hockey gamers with out listening to the complainant’s model of occasions, in response to parliamentary testimony by Robitalle. The investigation was later re-opened when the complainant mentioned she would offer an in depth account of what occurred, Robitaille testified.
