World junior complainant created a ‘false narrative,’ McLeod’s lawyer says

The complainant in the high-profile world junior sexual assault trial “chose to abandon restraint” the night of the alleged acts, a defence lawyer for one of the players says.

The female complainant in the high-profile world junior sexual assault trial “chose to abandon restraint” the night of the alleged acts, a defence lawyer for one of the players says.

David Humphrey, lawyer for Michael McLeod, told Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia Monday the complainant, known as E.M. in court documents, created a “false narrative” in the face of regret after meeting McLeod and his teammates in London, Ont., in June 2018.

“This is a case where the defence has an embarrassment of riches — a cornucopia of compelling credibility and reliability concerns in E.M.’s testimony,” Humphrey told Carroccia during his closing submissions inside a London courtroom.

“She’s created a false narrative in which she bears no responsibility.”

Closing submissions began Monday after the defence rested its case last week. The trial, which has been proceeding by judge alone after two juries were dismissed, began in late April.

McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault stemming from what the Crown alleges was non-consensual group sex with the then 20-year-old woman in McLeod’s hotel room.

McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

Defence lawyers said last week they would collaborate to avoid repetition during their submissions, and that they’d need two-to-three hours each. Crown prosecutors said they’d need a day for their closing submissions.