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Dunnigan found Corson guilty on Feb. 9, 2024, saying he did not take all reasonable measures to verify the age of the victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban.

She was assaulted in 2016 in Drummondville during group sex involving two other minors accused in the case. The other two, both 17, pleaded guilty in youth court.

Corson was 18 at the time of the assault and played with the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

The Crown had sought a 30-month sentence, while the defence had argued for a sentence of two years less a day to be served in the community.

Corson had testified he believed the girl was at least 16, which would have been a valid defence if he had done everything he reasonably could have to verify her age. His failure to do that was enough to determine his guilt, the judge said in his 2024 ruling.

During sentencing, Dunnigan noted findings in a pre-sentence report that said, “the accused’s background being that of hockey, the internal culture linked to it could have influenced his thinking or that popularity and success could have given way to a relative feeling of impunity and a certain objectification of women.”

Corson’s lawyers are appealing the guilty verdict.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025.