One of eight junior Team Canada hockey players allegedly involved in a gang rape in 2018 contacted the alleged victim the day after the events, reports the Globe and Mailtuesday.
Posted at 11:52
Updated at 3:20 p.m.
The player first asked the young woman, in a text message, if she had contacted the police. The latter replied that she had spoken about her evening with her mother and that the latter had taken the initiative to call the police against her will.
“You said you were having fun,” replies the player.
“I was really drunk, I didn’t feel well at all afterwards. But I’m not trying to cause trouble for anyone, ”she continues.
“I agreed to go with you, but all the others after, I didn’t expect it.” I just felt like I was being laughed at and taken advantage of,” she continues.
The hockey player wants the young woman to ask her mother to withdraw the complaint. “You need to talk to your mother now to clear things up with the police before it gets too far.” This is serious business that she misrepresents and could have significant impacts for many people, including you,” he wrote.
The woman apologizes for the trouble she might have already caused.
In the hours that followed, the hockey player texted the young woman a few times to make sure that her mother had corrected her version of the facts with the police. “Can you please figure out how to make this go away and contact the police,” the player asks.
In the evening, the young woman ends up answering: “I told them that I would not go any further and that it was a mistake. You should be correct now and hopefully nothing more will come of it. »
This exchange of text messages was featured daily Globe and Mail by lawyers for seven unnamed members of the 2018 Canadian junior hockey team. They also showed two videos that were filmed on the night of June 19, 2018 at the hotel in London, Ontario where the sports team stood. The recordings of 6 and 12 seconds show that the young woman seems to consent to the course of the evening.
“Are you okay with that?” asks an unidentified male voice. “I agree with that,” replies the woman.
Lawyers for the seven players wanted to demonstrate that the sexual acts were consensual and that the complainant was not fearful, intimidated or intoxicated, as she claimed. The alleged victim’s attorney did not comment on the article as investigations are ongoing, she said.
Hockey Canada is at the heart of a scandal for trying to cover up the alleged gang rape. The organization faced a multi-million dollar lawsuit that was settled out of court last May. The amount of the deal was never disclosed.
The matter is being investigated by Hockey Canada, the National Hockey League and Parliament.
Justin Trudeau “really disturbed”
On the other hand, the existence at Hockey Canada of a reserve fund to settle disputes, including claims of sexual abuse, was described as “absolutely unacceptable” by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday.
The existence of this special fund was revealed in a July 2021 affidavit signed by Glen McCurdie, who was then vice-president of insurance and risk management at Hockey Canada, in a lawsuit brought by a player. injured in Ontario.
“Hockey Canada maintains a reserve in a separate account to pay for uninsured liabilities as they arise,” McCurdie’s affidavit states. He goes on to say that “uninsured liabilities include potential claims for past sexual abuse”.
Asked to react to the news, Justin Trudeau called it “absolutely unacceptable”, especially as it adds to a series of revelations about the way Hockey Canada handles allegations of sexual misconduct.
“I think a lot of people have lost faith in this organization […] I’m really really disturbed by the culture that apparently has crept into the highest levels of this organization, ”he dropped on the sidelines of an announcement in British Columbia.
This is why the government has frozen funding to Hockey Canada until the organization shows its credentials, he argued.
“I think it’s essential that we see a new approach and an account of the consequences for the people who are responsible for this profound lack of respect as an institution,” insisted the Prime Minister.
With The Canadian Press