Sexual Assault Trial of 5 Ex-World Junior Hockey Players

The trial of five former world junior hockey players has been making headlines in recent days. The players, who cannot be named, are accused of sexually assaulting a young woman in 2018.

The latest development in the trial saw the Judge rule that text messages between the accused players cannot be used as evidence. This decision was a significant blow to the prosecution's case.

Crown's Case

The Crown had been relying heavily on the text messages to build their case against the accused players. The messages allegedly show the players discussing the assault and making jokes about it. However, the Judge ruled that the messages were not admissible as evidence.

The prosecution had also been trying to introduce other evidence, including testimony from NHL player Brett Howden, who was a teammate of the accused players at the time of the alleged assault. However, the Judge has yet to rule on the admissibility of this evidence.

Importance of Text Messages

The text messages in question are crucial to the prosecution's case, as they allegedly show the accused players' involvement in the assault and their subsequent attempts to conceal it. The prosecution argues that the messages are key to proving the players' guilt.

Without the text messages, the prosecution's case is significantly weakened. The Crown will now have to rely on other evidence, including testimony from witnesses, to build their case against the accused players.