Hockey Canada trial: Attorney claims the complainant sought a 'wild night'

The woman at the heart of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial stated several times that she could not recall any conversation following her sexual encounter with a junior hockey player in a hotel room in London. During the trial, the player's attorney, David Humphrey, representing Michael McLeod—one of five players facing sexual assault charges—suggested she had expressed a desire for a more lively experience.

"I propose that you said something to him like, 'Bring some of those guys back here. I want to have a wild night,'" Humphrey claimed. The complainant calmly responded, "That doesn't sound like something I would typically say, and I do not remember uttering those words." This interaction took place during a detailed and intense cross-examination in which Humphrey scrutinized the events of the night when the woman alleged she was coerced into sexual acts with the players in McLeod's room. Humphrey, the first attorney from the defense to interrogate the complainant, offered a different perspective, suggesting the woman was seeking to invite additional players to engage in sexual activities. McLeod, along with Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Dillon Dube, and Carter Hart—all of whom have played in the NHL—pleaded not guilty to the charges of sexual assault. McLeod also pleaded not guilty to an additional count related to being a party to the offense. Now 27, the woman has frequently emphasized during her testimony that she was heavily intoxicated and that significant portions of the early hours of June 19, 2018, at the Delta Armouries hotel are "blurry." At the time, she was 20 years old and has maintained that she was extremely inebriated after drinking eight Jagerbombs, tequila, a beer, and two cooler drinks before returning to the hotel for consensual sex with McLeod. She expressed shock when several team members entered the room while she was nude on the bed. Humphrey's cross-examination, which began on Monday afternoon, delved into the woman's background and her familiarity with London's nightlife. The complainant had a steady boyfriend during the events in question, who often picked her and friends up after outings. She acknowledged that it was typical for her to consume six to eight drinks while out and that she sometimes experienced vomiting from drinking. On Tuesday, she testified that after her encounter with McLeod, she went to the bathroom to freshen up, returning to find McLeod dressed and on his phone. The jury was shown McLeod's text message to the team asking if anyone wanted to join for "a three-way, quick." "I don't remember discussing that. I later learned he had gone for food, but at that moment, I was unaware of what he was doing on his phone," she stated.

Humphrey then suggested the woman had asked McLeod to bring his teammates to the room. "No, I don't think that's something I would have said," she replied. He posited that McLeod invited his friends because the woman was interested in sexual interactions with them. "No, I don't think that would have been something I said. I tend to be shy," she responded. Humphrey continued, suggesting McLeod asked her if she was serious and that she affirmed her desires. "That doesn't resonate with me at all," she said. Humphrey highlighted that it was at least 13 minutes after McLeod's text at 2:10 a.m. inviting others before anyone else entered the room. She clarified, "I was still very drunk and probably lying there, possibly even falling asleep. I don't think I was talking." Humphrey asserted that she was awake and naked when the others entered because "you were waiting to see if more would come in response to your invitation." He suggested she could have gotten dressed and left, to which she replied, "That could have been a good opportunity, but I was surprised by what was happening and unable to think clearly." Earlier in her testimony, she described experiencing an out-of-body sensation to cope with the situation as the men entered the room. She felt threatened when they made inappropriate suggestions involving golf equipment and felt pressured to engage in sexual activity. She recounted performing oral sex on three players and having vaginal sex with another. After another encounter with McLeod, he recorded a video of her stating that everything was consensual before she left the room, distressed and traumatized.

The following day, her mother contacted the police, initiating a long legal battle that has led to a criminal trial and the resolution of a civil lawsuit earlier this year. Humphrey argued, using surveillance footage from the bar, that the woman appeared eager to socialize with the players, dancing closely with them and touching McLeod, which he interpreted as her willingness to return to the hotel for sex. He further suggested that when the men arrived in the room, she ended up on a bedspread on the floor, putting on "a masturbation show" for the men. "My body just automatically complied," she said. "I didn't know how they would react if I didn't... I was scared. It was intimidating to be lying there, naked and inebriated, while the men loomed over me, directing me to do things." However, Humphrey referenced her initial police statement from June 22, 2018, when she indicated she enjoyed the attention, countering her claims of feeling coerced. She admitted confusion during her earlier statement, acknowledging that she hadn't fully processed her experience. Humphrey also drew attention to her remarks to the police about the men's jokes regarding golf, which contradicted her lawsuit claims. He noted that her police statement did not indicate any fear during the event. The woman recounted how McLeod left the room briefly, returning to eat on the bed. She confirmed that she engaged in oral sex when one man exposed himself. Humphrey asserted McLeod inquired multiple times whether she was okay with what was happening. "I don't recall that," she said, adding that she only remembered him asking at the very end. Humphrey advanced his questioning, suggesting that after performing oral sex, she urged others in the room to engage with her. "Do you remember saying something like, 'Come on, there's a girl here. Someone have sex with me?'" he probed. "That does not reflect how I usually speak. I wouldn't say that," she countered. He claimed that the men noted her behavior, calling her "...crazy" for wanting them to engage with her, while some declined her advances due to being in relationships. Ultimately, she had a sexual encounter with one player in the bathroom. The night concluded with her performing oral sex on McLeod and again having sex with him in the shower, after which he recorded her asserting that everything was consensual.

As the encounter wrapped up, McLeod asked her when she would be leaving, given that he and his roommate needed to prepare for morning golf, prompting her to feel he was "disrespectful and rude" for not accompanying her or arranging transportation. She ultimately left, returning moments later to look for a ring she feared she'd left behind. Although she didn't find it and McLeod offered no assistance, she described him as "rude and awful." The trial is set to continue on Wednesday.