Woman says London police discouraged charges after alleged sexual assaults by two hockey players. rwesthead HAS MORE:
A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted in London, Ont., in March 2018 by two men, one a Western University hockey player and the second a minor-league pro player, said in a series of interviews with TSN that she was discouraged by London police from pressing charges in both cases.
After closing an initial investigation in February 2019 without laying any charges, London police announced in July of 2022 that detectives would reopen an investigation into the allegations related to the World Juniors players. That case has gained international attention and is also being investigated by Hockey Canada and the NHL.
She said police told her that if her alleged assailant was acquitted, they couldn’t protect her or prevent him from going where he wanted to. The woman’s case helps to illustrate why some abuse survivors do not go to police, said Laurie Hepburn, executive director of the Halton Women’s Place, which operates women’s shelters in Burlington and Milton, Ont.
The woman said police told her that if her alleged assailant was acquitted, they couldn’t protect her or prevent him from going where he wanted to. She said the player asked her to have sex with him in his parents’ bedroom. She was drinking alcohol and doesn’t recall whether she consented. However, when several other people opened the door and walked into the bedroom, she said she told the player to stop. The player did not agree and sexually assaulted her, she said.
“I was concerned about my personal safety,” she said. “These guys knew where I lived. I didn’t feel I had any support and eventually I moved away from London because I was afraid.” On Sept. 4, 2019, Henry emailed the woman to make contact. The following morning, at between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., London police constable Dylan Dixon phoned the woman saying he was outside her home and was ready to take a statement.“Showing up that early, with no notice, catching someone so off guard, without the opportunity to have someone with them for support when they are sharing their story, is not the way to do a trauma-informed investigation,” Hepburn said.
“You had inquired about mine and the respondent's past sexual behaviour and how that would ‘change your lens of the evening’ – past sexual behaviour does not have any relevance to what happened to me on March 24th, 2018,” the woman wrote to Richards in an Oct. 22, 2019, email.
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