A timeline of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial and memorable moments

WARNING: This article contains graphic details, references sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone impacted by it.

The sexual assault trial of five former world junior hockey players stretched across three months in London, Ont., before finally coming to a close June 2 with the last witness.

Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote and Carter Hart have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges stemming from their time at a hotel in London, where they attended a Hockey Canada gala in June 2018 to celebrate their team's world championship. 

E.M., the complainant whose identity is protected under a standard publication ban, was 20 years old at the time.

A lot has happened over the last six weeks, so as lawyers on both sides begin their closing submissions Monday, here's a week-by-week rundown of key moments and testimony.

The long-awaited trial began with a false start, which in some ways set the tone for what would be a long six weeks mired in technical arguments and voir dires. Indeed, what played out along the edges of the case itself often threatened to upstage the serious matters of the charges being tried.

Scarcely had court started to hear from the first Crown witness, London Police Service Det. Tiffany Waque, when a lunchtime interaction derailed the whole thing.

One of Formenton's lawyers, Hilary Dudding, was at the Covent Garden Market — a few blocks from the courthouse and a popular spot for lunch. Dudding and a juror had differing accounts of the brief interaction that sparked concern among the defence teams. Dudding's legal partner, Daniel Brown, vouched for the lawyer's professionalism and insisted it was an innocuous encounter. The juror appeared to feel otherwise when questioned by Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia.

Amidst fears of a tainted jury, and after hearing arguments from both sides, Carroccia ruled a mistrial. The jury was discharged the morning of Friday, April 25, but arrangements were in place to empanel a second jury before the end of the day.

With a new jury in place after the mistrial, the Crown gave its opening statement a second time before calling Waque to testify once again. This time, the detective got through her evidence, which included surveillance footage of Jack's, the bar where E.M. and the hockey players first met, and the Delta hotel in London. 

It also included text messages from McLeod to the team inviting them to a "3 way," and two videos from McLeod's phone in which he asks E.M. if she is OK with what is happening or consented to the acts that had already happened.

Much of the early weeks of the trial were hamstrung by technical gremlins, an inability to play or view evidence through the monitors and connectivity issues with witnesses. Outside the courtroom, non-working elevators complicated getting the jurors and defence teams into place.

After Waque's testimony ended, the Crown called former world junior player Taylor Raddysh, who was in the middle of a Stanley Cup playoff run with the Washington Capitals. Raddysh, testifying remotely, was unable to recall much about that night, telling the Crown he was briefly in Delta hotel Room 209 (McLeod's room) but couldn't remember much about E.M. 

Raddysh said he went to bed, but his roommate, Brett Howden, woke him up, slamming the hotel door. Raddysh testified he also received a text message from McLeod inviting him to Room 209 for "a gummer," which he said he understood to be oral sex, but couldn't remember when he came across that text message or even if he saw it that night. Raddysh wrapped up that Friday.