“She initially tried to resist”: Crown argues Hockey Canada accuser felt forced into s*x acts during 2018 assault involving five players

The sexual assault trial involving five former players from Canada’s 2018 World Junior hockey team entered a critical phase as the Crown delivered its closing arguments, painting a harrowing picture of a young woman overwhelmed by escalating events she could not control. The woman, known as E.M., testified that what began as consensual sex with one player spiraled into a traumatic group assault, which she neither expected nor consented to.Crown prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham, speaking in a London, Ontario, courtroom, stated, “The events snowballed from there.” She described how more players began entering the hotel room, escalating the situation into something “highly stressful and unpredictable.” According to Cunningham, E.M. tried to resist passively—refusing to lie on a dirty floor—until a bedsheet was laid down, stripping her of even that small excuse. “She initially tried to resist in passive ways. Ways that I submit are completely recognizable to any woman or anyone who has seen a woman in an uncomfortable situation,” Cunningham told Justice Maria Carroccia.E.M. testified that she feared for her safety and mentally dissociated to survive the ordeal. Cunningham emphasized that the victim’s psychological response was normal: “Some people will freeze. Some people will appease… and some people will dissociate or detach from reality. Either or all are normal predictable responses.”Defense lawyers for the accused—Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote, all of whom pleaded not guilty—challenged E.M.’s credibility, suggesting she exaggerated her claims after filing a $3.55-million civil suit against Hockey Canada. Cunningham rejected this, noting E.M. had “no obligation” to testify after settling. “She had her money… she did not need to come to court,” Cunningham said, calling her nine-day testimony proof of her sincerity.Also Read: Hockey Canada sexual assault trial rocked by credibility concerns as defence challenges E.M.’s claimsCunningham also blasted the original 2018 police investigation, accusing Det. Stephen Newton of failing to ask key questions or pursue the truth. “The interviews leave the clear impression that Detective Newton had made up his mind,” she said.Justice Carroccia is expected to deliver her verdict on July 24, following a defense rebuttal scheduled for Friday.