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Alleged abuse scandal in Canada: Accused denies any wrongdoing
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Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press / AP
Four players from the North American professional league NHL have been charged in the wake of the abuse scandal in Canadian ice hockey. You are accused of sexually assaulting a woman after winning the 2018 World Cup gold medal with Canada's junior national team. Canadian police have announced a press conference on the case on February 5th.
Lawyers for Michael McLeod, Cal Foote (both New Jersey Devils) and Carter Hart (Philadelphia Flyers) confirmed that the professionals were among the defendants. McLeod denies “any wrongdoing,” his lawyers said. According to the AFP news agency, Hart has already turned himself in to the police but is now at large. He is innocent and will "give a full response to this false accusation," it said in a statement.
Former NHL professional Alex Formenton, who now plays in Switzerland, is also among the defendants, according to his lawyers. Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames is also said to be involved in the scandal, according to Canadian media reports. A total of eight players are accused of sexually assaulting a young woman in 2018; all of the players were part of the Canadian junior national team at the time.
The incident caused great excitement in Canada
According to court documents, a man allegedly took the woman from a bar to his hotel room and invited seven other men to come with him. Unspecified sexual acts are said to have been performed on her there, meaning the woman was intimidated and prevented from leaving the hotel room.
The alleged act only became known in May 2022, caused great excitement in Canada and plunged the national ice hockey association into a crisis. He is said to have tried to cover up the incident by paying the woman millions.
bka/dpa/AP