Police chief apologizes to woman in hockey players sex assault case

The police chief in London, Ont., apologized on Monday to the woman at the centre of the sexual assault case against five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team. Chief Thai Truong said he extended his “sincerest apology” for the six years it took to lay sexual assault charges against the players and acknowledged the woman for her “courage and incredible strength throughout.” The charges in the case relate to an alleged incident at a hotel in London in June 2018. The investigation was initially closed without charges in 2019 before it was reopened three years later. London Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann says officers found new evidence that helped lead to the charges. Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged with sexual assault last month. McLeod is also facing an additional charge of sexual assault for “being a party to the offence." Lawyers for the players have said their clients will defend themselves against the allegations. The woman's identity and the identities of two witnesses are protected by a court-ordered publication ban. CBC has closed commenting on this video due to the ban. For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services, which you can find via the sexual misconduct support resources search tool on the Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news »»» Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos: http://bit.ly/1RreYWS Connect with CBC News Online: For breaking news, video, audio and in-depth coverage: http://bit.ly/1Z0m6iX Follow CBC News on TikTok: https://bit.ly/3TnHioe Follow CBC News on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1sA5P9H Find CBC News on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1WjG36m Follow CBC News on Instagram: http://bit.ly/1Z0iE7O Subscribe to CBC News on Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3leaWsr Download the CBC News app for iOS: http://apple.co/25mpsUz Download the CBC News app for Android: http://bit.ly/1XxuozZ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» For more than 80 years, CBC News has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.