ECJ 2018: a trial in 2 years and sentences in 3 or 4 years? Doesn’t make sense

Greetings to you all. If you’re reading me on a beach in the Quintana Roo region this morning, I invite you to check out Haven Resorts & Spas, a chic adult resort located in Cancun, after. Why? Because that’s where Samuel Montembeault, Brendan Gallagher, Jesse Ylonen, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and their respective girlfriends spend part of their bye-week.

Two Quebec couples, a guy dating a Quebec girl and Jesse Ylonen… I wonder if the good Jesse understands everything that’s being said over there.

I’m told the guys don’t stick their necks out too much, at least not in public. So Brendan Gallagher has learned since last Thursday, when he raised his elbow ON THE ICE, hehe.

Anyway…
The open secret has been out: Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton have been or soon will be charged with criminal assault in connection with the alleged 2018 mass sexual assault in Ontario.

Cal Foote had a solid alibi, it seems, while Dillon Dube and Carter Hart said they had done nothing wrong a few days after the mega-sex scandal was revealed. Further proof that public and official statements shouldn’t always be taken at face value.

It took two years of investigation before any charges were laid. That’s a long time!

But the longest delay in this case is likely to start now.

According to Rick Westhead and the lawyers he spoke to, the trial(s) of the five accused may not begin until 2026. In other words, we’d have to wait at least another two years before there’d be a TRIAL START. So perhaps three or four years before a judgment is handed down and sentences announced (if there is guilt at the end of the trial(s)).

So that would take us to 2028… 2028 is 10 years after 2018.

It probably wouldn’t have been as long if the alleged acts had taken place south of the border, but hey.

Sure, the whole thing could be settled much more quickly with a guilty plea, but that’s not likely to happen. First, the lawyers for the players who have said something since last week have all said their clients will defend themselves and plead not guilty.

Second, the NHL is likely to suspend its four players WITH pay for the duration of the proceedings. The principle of presumption of innocence – an important legal principle in our society – somehow prevents an employer from financially penalizing one of his employees if he has not yet been found guilty. So the guys will most likely continue to pocket their salary even if he’s not playing as long as they’re under contract and not found guilty.

The factremains that these astronomical delays prove once again that our judicial health education system isn’t working very well. Put yourself in the shoes of one of the aggressors who, in the end, would be innocent. Or even worse: the victim!

She can’t wait to put that traumatic evening behind her, and we, as a society, are asking her to put up with it for another three or four years. Try convincing reluctant victims to press charges after that. C*li**!

It should be noted that the five defendants should not have to surrender their passports to the courts, and will be able to travel wherever they are welcome. They will not, of course, be able to contact the alleged victim.

It should also be noted that the Flames indicated that they had no idea what charges would be filed against Dillon Dube the day they offered him their support after he requested time off to take care of his mental health.

We can believe them… or not.

BUT…

I was just talking about this last week: many people throughout the NHL knew the identities of the players under investigation (by both the NHL and the London police). Some erred in not suspending said players (with pay) for the duration of the criminal investigation. That’s how it would have been in most large organizations elsewhere.

And when Dube asked the Flames to leave a few hours after the London police had asked five players to turn themselves in, no one wondered? Didn’t anyone make the connection between the investigation that was winding down, the four other players who were also absent for personal reasons and Dube?

F*ck off. Plenty of people were soft and fearful, as is too often the case in our society today. It’s lucky that investigative journalism – sports or otherwise – still exists. It’s becoming rare, but it still exists.

In closing, let’s remember that there were supposedly eight players under investigation at the outset. That means three guys were either cleared or there wasn’t enough evidence to charge them.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: if convicted of simple or group sexual assault, the accused will face up to 10 or 14 years in prison. We’re not talking about a small gesture here.

Continued

– Stay tuned today…

– Attention Montreal CF fans. Come and say hello if you see me there…

– 100% agree with Colin Cowherd. The NFL has plenty of problems, but Taylor Swift is (really) not one of them.