A woman is telling the sexual assault trial of five hockey players she was drunk and not fully aware of her surroundings as she navigated a “chaotic” dance floor at the bar where she first encountered some of the accused.
The woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, says she had at least eight shots, a beer and a vodka soda at Jack’s Bar in London, Ont., the night of June 18, 2018, as well as two coolers at home beforehand.
She says she remembers being introduced to someone identified as Mikey, then drinking and dancing with him, and interacting with a group of men she believed to be his friends who then crowded around her on the dancefloor.
Testifying by CCTV, the woman says she felt claustrophobic and uncomfortable, but went along with it because she was drunk.
Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote have all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.
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The five accused were all part of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team, and many of the team’s members were in town for a series of events marking their victory at that year’s championship.
