WARNING: This story includes graphic details some readers may find disturbing
Two former University of Ottawa hockey players have been found not guilty of sexual assault in a 2014 incident at a Thunder Bay, Ont., hotel room.
Guillaume Donovan and David Foucher had each been charged with one count of sexual assault after a woman accused them of forcing themselves upon her following a Gee-Gees away game against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves in February 2014.
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Judge Chantal Brochu delivered her decision Monday afternoon in a Thunder Bay courtroom following a 10-day-trial in February.
Court heard that the night of Feb. 1, 2014, was a boozy celebration of an overtime win against Lakehead University's Thunderwolves, with Gee-Gees players passing between adjoining hotel rooms through connecting doors.
The complainant cannot be identified due to a publication ban, which also prevents CBC News from reporting the names of some witnesses and certain details from the trial.
The young woman told court she had met a Gee-Gee player, Donovan's roommate on the Thunder Bay trip, through the Tinder dating application, and they had arranged to meet at a local bar during the post-game celebration.
The woman and Donovan's roommate then returned to his hotel room and began having consensual sex, she said.
The complainant alleged they were interrupted when two of his teammates forced themselves on her in the hotel room. She also described seeing other naked men come into the hotel room.
Both accused denied allegations
When he testified in his defence, Donovan said he had returned to his hotel room that night with the intention of going to bed, but had become aroused when he saw his roommate with the woman in the next bed, and approached them.
He said in his testimony the roommate asked the woman if Donovan could join them and she agreed.
In his testimony, Donovan said the woman never resisted, but they didn't exchange any words that night.
David Foucher denied ever having sexual contact with the woman. He said he was part of a group of Gee-Gees players who entered the hotel room stripped down to their winter boots as a prank.
Court also heard from a friend of the complainant who picked her up from the hotel that night, and later contacted the team's coach and the University of Ottawa about the incident.
Donovan's roommate, former Gee-Gees player Mathieu Leduc, and Real Paiement, the former Gee-Gees coach who was fired for his handling of the incident, also testified during the trial.