Lauding the “incredible strength” of the woman at the centre of a sexual assault case that’s gripped Canadian hockey, the police chief of London, Ont., apologized Monday for a six-year delay in laying charges against five former world junior players.
“I truly am not happy about this whatsoever,” Chief Thai Truong said.
“I don’t think any of our members are happy about this. But I can assure you, I am confident … that this will not happen again.”
The chief’s comments came at a long-awaited news conference that drew dozens of local and national reporters to RBC Place, the London convention centre, on Monday afternoon.
The admission follows years of public outrage over allegations that five members of the 2018 Canadian world junior hockey team sexually assaulted a young woman.
London police closed their initial investigation without filing charges in 2019. The case was reopened amid national controversy in 2022.
The chief’s apology goes a long way to “build the trust that police need to move forward,” said Jennifer Dunn, executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre.
“Because something like this — taking six years — is absolutely unacceptable,” she said.
Lawyers for the five men — aged 24 to 26 — appeared at the Ontario Court of Justice by video Monday morning for the first time since their clients turned themselves in to police over the past week and a half. The case was adjourned to April 30.
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