A Canadian judge overseeing a high-profile sexual assault case against five former members of the country’s world junior hockey team has declared a mistrial, and ordered that a new jury be seated to hear the case.
The decision on Friday came shortly after the prosecution called its first witness. A new jury was swiftly chosen to replace the 14 jurors dismissed from the case.
Superior Court Justice Maria Carrocci did not give a reason for the mistrial. The reasons for it are covered by a publication ban, according to Canadian media.
All five players, who each formerly played for the National Hockey League (NHL), have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The accused players are Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé and Alex Formenton.
According to reporters in court, on Wednesday the judge informed the jury that “something happened over the lunch hour that I need to think about and to discuss with the lawyers”.
The discussion was not heard by jurors, and is covered by the publication ban. On Friday, the judge declared a mistrial and began the process of selecting new jurors. The trial will re-start on Monday, and is expected to last around eight weeks.
According to Canadian law, a mistrial can be declared if there is a “real danger that trial fairness has been compromised”.
The charges are tied to an alleged sexual assault that took place in London, about 190km (118 miles) southwest of Toronto, in 2018, following a Hockey Canada Foundation fundraising event in the city.
A 24-year-old woman initially filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada alleging that she had been assaulted by eight players on Canada’s World Junior team in a hotel room that night.
In her lawsuit, she said she felt pressured not to report the incident to the police.
In May 2022, sports network TSN revealed Hockey Canada, which manages programmes and teams in the country from entry-level all the way to world championships and the Olympic Games, quietly reached a settlement with the woman.
The revelation was met with national outcry in Canada, resulting in the organisation losing federal funding and several high-profile sponsorship deals.
Police in London later reopened their investigation into the alleged assault, and apologised for waiting nearly six years to pursue the case.
Under Canadian law, a sexual assault conviction carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.