After over a year, five former World Junior hockey players involved in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault case were found not guilty on Thursday. The trial began in April and drew national attention. The accused players, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote, were cleared of all charges.

The case was related to an alleged incident in a London, Ontario, hotel room in June 2018. The complainant, known as E.M., said she was assaulted by the players over several hours.

In her verdict, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said that the Crown did not prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

“Having found that I cannot rely upon the evidence of E.M. and then considering the evidence in this trial as a whole,” Carroccia said. “I conclude that the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me,”

Following the verdict, NHL analyst Matt Larkin shared his thoughts on X.

“Heart hurts for EM today,” Larkin wrote. “I understand that the onus of proof was not met. That doesn’t make her story untrue. She was put through the wringer with the victim blaming during the trial. I fear it will deter other SA victims from coming forward in future,” Larkin tweeted.

Larkin believes this Hockey Canada sexual assault case verdict could stop others from reporting sexual assault. He pointed out that a not guilty verdict does not mean the assault did not happen.

Although the legal process is over, public debate will likely continue. Some feel the system failed the complainant, while Others believe the trial was fair and followed the law.

NHL decision is pending on the 2018 Hockey Canada accused players

NHL released a statement after the Hockey Canada trial verdict. It said the allegations were disturbing, even if not criminal. The league also called the behavior described in the case as unacceptable.

Here’s the statement from the NHL on Hockey Canada verdict.

“The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing, and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,” the statement read.

“We will be reviewing and considering the judge’s findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league.”

The woman, known as E.M., filed a lawsuit in 2020. She claimed that she was sexually assaulted after one man got her intoxicated, and four others entered and assaulted her. She said the men were Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart and Cal Foote.