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The complainant, whose identity is covered by a standard publication ban, said she met player Michael McLeod at Jack鈥檚 Bar when she was 20 years old and returned to his room at the Delta Armouries hotel where they had consensual sex, only for multiple men to come in afterward. She has alleged they placed a bedsheet on the floor and asked her to fondle herself, to perform oral sex on them as she was slapped and spat on, and to have vaginal intercourse.

The woman does not claim the men physically forced her to do anything that night, nor that she said no to the alleged assaults, but says she nonetheless did not consent to what happened. She testified she was drunk and in an autonomous state, acting in 鈥渁utopilot鈥� while surrounded by large men she didn鈥檛 know and who should have known she wasn鈥檛 consenting.

McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dub茅, Carter Hart and Cal Foote have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. Specifically, their charges relate to the Crown鈥檚 allegations that McLeod had intercourse with the complainant a second time in the hotel room鈥檚 bathroom; that Formenton separately had intercourse with the complainant in the bathroom; that McLeod, Hart, and Dub茅 obtained oral sex from the woman; that Dub茅 slapped her naked buttocks, and that Foote did the splits over her head and his genitals 鈥済razed鈥� her face.听

The Crown鈥檚 re-examination of the complainant on Wednesday capped off nine days of testimony for the now-27-year-old woman, including a marathon seven under cross-examination.

Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham鈥檚 re-examination 鈥� the prosecution鈥檚 opportunity to ask the complainant to clarify her answers under cross-examination 鈥� was prolonged as the defence objected to several of the Crown鈥檚 questions, and discussions were had in the absence of the jury.

鈥淵ou have completed giving your evidence now, so you are free to go,鈥� Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia told the complainant late Wednesday afternoon, as she politely replied, 鈥淭hank you very much鈥� before leaving.

Before the complainant, the jury had heard from a London police detective who testified about surveillance footage, as well as testimony from former world juniors Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk about what they saw when they were briefly in the room.听

The woman testified the entire time via CCTV from a different room in the London courthouse, while the background in the courtroom was blurred online, so that she could only see the judge and the lawyer asking her questions. Protesters supporting the complainant stood outside the courthouse each morning, holding signs and chanting.听

Despite the length of time on the stand, the complainant generally maintained her composure, calmly answering questions and often apologizing when she was confused.

There were a few notable exceptions. She broke down in tears last Wednesday as she was being questioned by Hart鈥檚 lawyer, Megan Savard, about the $3.5-million lawsuit she filed against Hockey Canada and eight unnamed players, which the organization settled in 2022 for an undisclosed sum.

鈥淚鈥檓 getting a little flustered with everything,鈥� she said, as court ended 10 minutes early.听

And she was noticeably combative and frustrated when being questioned last Friday by Formenton鈥檚 lawyer, Daniel Brown, about surveillance footage at Jack鈥檚 Bar. Brown told her part of the reason she had been testifying for so long was because she wasn鈥檛 answering questions directly.听

鈥淚 feel this is also my time to stand up for myself when I couldn鈥檛 that night,鈥� the woman responded. 鈥淪o I鈥檇 like to respond how I鈥檇 like to respond, if that鈥檚 alright.鈥�

Brown replied: 鈥淲ell, in fact, it鈥檚 not alright, you鈥檙e here to respond to my questions.鈥澨�

Here鈥檚 what we鈥檝e heard from the Hockey Canada complainant, with links to the Star鈥檚 in-depth daily reporting on the trial:

Two days of examination in chief

Under questioning by Cunningham for the Crown on May 2 and 5, the complainant testified that she was very drunk at Jack鈥檚 Bar when she met McLeod, and was uncomfortable as she felt surrounded by him and his friends on the dance floor. In all, she testified she would have had about 10 drinks at the bar that night, mostly bought by McLeod and his friends.

She nevertheless said she agreed to go back to McLeod鈥檚 hotel room, but testified she likely wouldn鈥檛 have gone had she not been intoxicated.听

鈥淚鈥檓 someone who has a bit of a hard time saying 鈥榥o,鈥� I don鈥檛 like upsetting others, and I think when I鈥檓 drunk, that really shows,鈥� she testified. 鈥淚 know if I hadn鈥檛 been drunk or been in that position, that wouldn鈥檛 have been something I would have done, but I did feel OK going with him at that point.鈥�

After having sex with McLeod back at his hotel room, the woman said she saw him on his phone, after which multiple men came into the room while the complainant was still naked. Texts entered into evidence show McLeod messaged his teammates in a group chat after 2 a.m. on June 19, saying 鈥淲ho wants to be in 3 way quick鈥� and Hart replied: 鈥淚鈥檓 in.鈥�

The complainant听testified she went into 鈥渁utopilot鈥� mode, as her mind separated from her body and she felt like she was a spectator, watching her body engage in sexual activity with the men.

Although she didn鈥檛 say no, didn鈥檛 resist and wasn鈥檛 physically blocked from leaving, the woman said she nonetheless felt trapped in a room surrounded by men she didn鈥檛 know, and just went along with everything as a way of protecting herself.听

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know these men at all, I didn鈥檛 know how they would react if I did try to say no or try to leave,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y mind just kind of shut down and let my body do what it thought it needed to do to keep me safe.鈥澨�

She said that she was crying, and that when she would try to leave, the men would coax her back into the room, putting their arm around her and guiding her back to the bedsheet. This is where she testified she was slapped and spat on as the men asked her to fondle herself, lowered their pants for oral sex and urged each other to have sex with her.

At one point, she said she became worried when someone made comments about 鈥減utting golf balls in me, in my vagina, and asking if I could take the whole club.鈥�

All the while, she said she felt she couldn鈥檛 leave or resist. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know these men at all, I didn鈥檛 know how they would react if I did try to say no or try to leave,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y mind just kind of shut down.鈥�

The woman was also asked about two videos taken by McLeod on his phone in the hotel room that night. In the first, a voice off-camera asks if she鈥檚 鈥淥K with this,鈥� and she replies, smiling: 鈥淚鈥檓 OK with this.鈥� The complainant testified she wasn鈥檛 aware she was being recorded in that first video.听

She speaks for longer in the second video, taken about an hour after the first: 鈥淎re you recording me? OK, good, it was all consensual,鈥� she says, wrapping herself in a towel. 鈥淵ou are so paranoid, holy. I enjoyed it. It was fine. It was all consensual. I am so sober, that鈥檚 why I can鈥檛 do this right now.鈥�

The complainant testified she was just saying what she thought the men wanted to hear. 鈥淚 think this is still a point where my mind is disconnected from my body,鈥� she said.听

She said she was distraught when she arrived home, and her mother found her crying in the shower. Her mother called the police, and urged her to speak with investigators. Meanwhile, McLeod was messaging the complainant after tracking her down on Instagram, asking what she could do to 鈥渕ake this go away.鈥� The woman apologized for the 鈥渕isunderstanding,鈥� saying it was her mother who called the police and she would tell them she didn鈥檛 want to take things any further.听

She testified she was just trying to get McLeod to leave her alone by telling him what she thought he wanted to hear.

The Star鈥檚 coverage of the Crown鈥檚 examination in chief

• Friday, May 2 鈥� Day 1 of her testimony: I was drunk and 鈥榰ncomfortable鈥� at bar with Canada world juniors, woman testifies
• Monday, May 5: 鈥楴umb and on autopilot鈥�: Woman details alleged Hockey Canada sex assaults

Seven days of cross-examination

The woman鈥檚 cross-examination focused on apparent inconsistencies in her testimony, as the defence lawyers probed the question of consent.

She faced a barrage of questions about her interactions with the police and health care professionals, suggestions she was demanding to have sex with players and made up her allegations to keep her boyfriend, probing as to why she didn鈥檛 tell friends certain things at certain times, and doubts put to her about her alcohol consumption.听

Cross-examination began on the afternoon of May 5, when McLeod鈥檚 lawyer David Humphrey suggested that it was actually the woman鈥檚 idea to have McLeod invite his teammates into the room, and that she was demanding to have sex with players.听

鈥淚鈥檓 going to suggest you said something to him along the lines of, 鈥楪et some of those guys back here, I want to have a wild night,鈥欌�� Humphrey put to the complainant.听

She replied that she didn鈥檛 鈥渟ee that having been a suggestion that came from my mouth.鈥澨�

While she says she has no actual recollection of whether she said anything to McLeod after they had sex, she maintained under re-examination on Wednesday that she knows that asking for other men to show up is not something she would do.听

鈥淛ust the fact that I know I had left (the bar) with only one person and that after a sexual encounter, I鈥檓 assuming I鈥檓 just staying in bed and I鈥檓 staying there,鈥� she testified. 鈥淚鈥檓 not expecting anything else. It鈥檚 just not something that I would do.鈥�

Once the hotel room was crowded with men, Humphrey suggested that the woman was saying to them: 鈥淐ome on, you鈥檝e got a girl here. Someone have sex with me. You guys are pussies.鈥澨�

The woman testified she doesn鈥檛 recall making those comments, adding: 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 even sound like how I would usually speak.鈥�

Savard, Hart鈥檚 lawyer, suggested to the complainant that she had听made up the sexual assault allegations to keep her boyfriend, who is now her fianc茅 鈥� something the woman denied.

It emerged while being questioned by Savard that the woman had told the police and Crown in a witness preparation meeting a few months ago that she took on the 鈥�persona鈥� of a 鈥減orn star鈥� as a coping mechanism in the hotel room, something Savard grilled her on.听

鈥淚t felt like that鈥檚 what they were forcing on me,鈥� the complainant testified. 鈥淚t seemed like that鈥檚 what they wanted to see. They were trying to recreate like a porn scene.鈥澨�

Savard asked her if she would engage this persona by offering sexual performances or services 鈥� the woman said it was possible 鈥� or by saying things like 鈥淲ho鈥檚 going to f-鈥�-鈥�- me?鈥澨�

The woman said that didn鈥檛 sound like something she would say: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think even my persona would have said something like that.鈥�

She admitted under questioning by Savard that one of the unnamed players she sued for sexual assault in 2022 鈥渄idn鈥檛 do anything,鈥� as she blamed her civil lawyers for his inclusion in her statement of claim as one of eight John Does.

In her later dealings with Hockey Canada鈥檚 third-party probe into the matter, she identified John Doe No. 8 as Jonah Gadjovich. She maintained she only identified him because she had recognized his face in photos from Jack鈥檚 Bar.听

鈥淚 knew he didn鈥檛 do anything, I never said he did, it鈥檚 because those are the only names I could come up with,鈥� she told the jury.听

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we didn鈥檛 go by name (in the lawsuit) because there was no certainty, because that鈥檚 just how it was sent in, I guess. I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 on me.鈥澨�

She was walked through multiple surveillance clips from Jack鈥檚 Bar during her cross-examination by Brown, who suggested to her that the footage contradicts most of what she has said happened at the bar. For example, while she鈥檚 said that McLeod and his friends bought almost all of her drinks, she can be seen on video purchasing most of what she said she drank, either by herself or with a friend, Brown pointed out.

After Brown put to her that a witness will say she was seen 鈥�pulling鈥� his client, Formenton, into the hotel room bathroom where she was allegedly assaulted, the complainant responded: 鈥淚 guess it could be possible.鈥澨�

After leaving the hotel room, the complainant said she called her best friend and was 鈥渃rying uncontrollably,鈥� struggling to get the words out about what had happened. Dub茅鈥檚 lawyer, Lisa Carnelos, highlighted that she didn鈥檛 tell her friend in that initial call or in texts later that day that she had been sexually assaulted or had been scared in the room.听

Instead, the complainant texted the friend that she had been 鈥渁 little overdramatic鈥� when she first called her. She texted that she felt 鈥渞eally guilty and mad at myself for letting that s-鈥�-鈥�- happen鈥� and that she felt 鈥渄irty and used鈥� afterward. And she said that she 鈥渘ever wanted to do this鈥� to her boyfriend.听

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to admit it was a sexual assault,鈥� she testified Monday. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to say those words, because then it would be true.鈥�

Finally, on her last day of cross-examination on Tuesday, the complainant faced questions from Foote鈥檚 lawyer, Julianna Greenspan, who probed why she referred to the players as 鈥渂oys鈥� throughout her interactions with the police in 2018, but in court has only referred to them as 鈥渕en.鈥� (The current ages of the accused range from 25 to 27.)

Greenspan suggested the complainant had come to court 鈥渨ith a clear agenda,鈥� which is why she had 鈥渟o carefully changed鈥� her language when referring to the accused. The complainant denied that, saying she referred to them as 鈥渂oys鈥� in 2018 because it was a simple term to use at a time when she was struggling to explain what had happened to her.听

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 change the fact that their age makes them men,鈥� she said.