Halifax police now have the names of at least two members of the 2003 World Junior hockey team who may have appeared on video of an alleged gang sexual assault nearly two decades ago, CBC News has learned. A person who was shown a video of the alleged incident after it happened in 2003 said that, in a recent police interview, he identified two players he recognized in the video. “[The video] it made me sick to my stomach,” the source told CBC News. “I knew what I was seeing was wrong. “I recognized two of the players and both went on to have NHL careers.” CBC News has agreed to keep the identity of the person who saw the video confidential because he said he fears he could suffer negative repercussions, both professionally and personally. Police launched an investigation into the sexual assault allegations in July after TSN first learned of the alleged video during the Hockey Canada scandal that has rocked the sports world. In recent months, major sponsors cut ties with Hockey Canada, the federal government froze its funding and a parliamentary committee launched public hearings into the organization’s handling of sexual assault claims. Police in Canada are investigating three separate alleged gang sexual assaults involving young hockey players between 2003 and 2018. All three cases involve allegations that groups of players degraded a lone drunk woman. The allegations have not been proven in court. Police in London, Ont. and Quebec City reopened the investigations last month in response to public outrage over the lack of fees. WATCH/ Quebec police reopen complaints of gang sexual assault at Gatineau Olympiques
Quebec City police reopen investigation into sexual assault on Gatineau Olympiques team
An alleged gang sexual assault case involving four players with the 2014 Gatineau Olympics is the latest example of a police force re-examining an investigation amid Hockey Canada’s ongoing scandal. This review is now the third class action sexual assault complaint involving Canadian hockey players under police investigation. The source said he told Halifax police he recognized the 2003 World Junior player holding the video camera at the beginning of the video because he held the camera to his face. The source said the recording showed the player “suspicious” of what he was about to show inside a hotel room. The hockey player, the source said, looked into the camera and said “this is going to be roast lamb” – a slang term for sexual activity involving a group of men and a woman. The source said he also identified for Halifax police a second player seen standing outside a room in the video. The video showed the two men then entering a room where a woman, who appeared to be heavily intoxicated, was lying face down on a bed surrounded by five or six other naked players, the source said. As one of those players penetrated the woman, the others stood around the woman masturbating and appeared to be waiting their turn, the source said. “Her head was just turned to the side and she wasn’t active,” the source said. (TSN previously reported the alleged incident took place on a pool table. However, the source told CBC News he remembers it taking place on a bed in a room.)
“That was still eating at me inside”
The source said the video was taken in 2003 when the World Juniors were playing in Halifax. The all-star team took home the silver medal that year, and several of its players went on to great NHL careers. TSN first reported the video in July and spoke to two other people who saw it, including the owner of the camera. The owner lent the camera to team members and found the recording on it when it was returned, TSN said. The owner of the camera showed it to at least two other people, TSN said. The source CBC spoke to said he didn’t report the video nearly two decades ago because he was told to “shut up, you’re not saying anything.” “All I knew about myself at the time was that it was wrong,” the source said. “I didn’t know things like that were reported to the police.” The source said he is not sure what happened to the recording – which he said was about 90 seconds long – or if it still exists. The source said he has been haunted by what he saw ever since. “Every time the World Juniors came around, I got sick to my stomach and thought about that girl,” he said. “That was still eating at me inside.” WATCH/ Hockey Canada has paid 21 sexual harassment settlements since 1989
Hockey Canada has paid 21 sexual harassment settlements since 1989
Hockey Canada officials have revealed that the organization has paid almost $9 million in settlements since 1989 to 21 people making sexual misconduct allegations. The source said she spoke out after seeing the news about the alleged gang sexual assault in 2018. She said she hoped the police investigation would help the victim “find some level of healing.” The source said he believes there may be other such cases involving hockey players that have yet to be reported. “There’s a sense of brazenness that ‘boys will be boys’ and boys can get away with doing things,” he said. “There’s not a lot of accountability for people in sports. They can get away with things where others can’t. They should be held accountable.”
A few players issued statements about complaints
Since TSN first reported on the video in July, five of 22 members of Canada’s 2003 world junior team; have addressed the allegations. Former NHL players and 2003 World Junior members Jordin Tootoo, Nathan Paetsch, Carlo Colaiacovo and PA Parenteau issued statements saying they were not involved in or aware of the alleged incident. Another former player, Scottie Upshall, called for an investigation. Lise Gotell, a leading expert on sexual assault consent law in Canada, said the case law shows a tendency for perpetrators to videotape sexual assaults — sometimes as a “trophy.” People’s recollections from a video can be used as evidence to prosecute a case, he said. However, since the Criminal Code was amended in 1983, no evidence is required to prosecute sexual assault allegations, he said. “Convictions have been filed based on the testimony of the complainant alone,” said Gotell, a University of Alberta gender studies professor who specializes in sexual assault law.
Hockey organizations threaten to withhold funding from Hockey Canada
While one provincial hockey federation supports Hockey Canada’s response to the sexual assault controversy, others have threatened to withhold fees over the scandal. But Gotell said policing is a male-dominated field that has fairly high rates of “acceptance of rape myths” and “not a very sophisticated understanding of the law of consent,” which can lead to investigations being closed without charges. Gotell said the growing allegations against elite hockey players in Canada would indicate a troubling pattern of behavior if proven true. “If the allegations in these cases were true and what we’re seeing in these cases is a form of ritual male bonding involving the abuse of women … that’s extremely, extremely concerning,” he said.
Police would not say if a victim has come forward
Halifax police declined to say whether any victims have come forward, while the matter remains under investigation. “We encourage anyone with information to contact police,” Halifax Police said. Brian Peroni. Hockey Canada said it learned of the alleged gang sexual assault involving members of the 2002-2003 junior national team on July 21 and notified authorities. “We immediately contacted the Halifax Regional Police, notified Sport Canada of the information shared with us and engaged a third party investigator to look into the alleged incident,” Hockey Canada spokesman Jeremy Knight said in a media statement sent on CBC News. The hockey organization said the well-known defense firm Henein Hutchison – which it hired to investigate allegations of gang sexual assault by members of the 2018 World Junior team in London, Ont. — is not the same firm commissioned to investigate the 2003 allegations. CBC News asked the NHL if it is investigating the 2003 allegations or if any action has been taken. The league has yet to respond. The NHL launched an investigation into the 2018 allegation, led by Jared Maples, the league’s senior vice president of security, who was the director of homeland security for the State of New Jersey. Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you, call 911.
