Defence for ex-world junior player accused of sexual assault grills woman about gaps in memory | Breaking News and Top Canadian Stories

Defence for ex-world junior player accused of sexual assault grills woman about gaps in memory — 'Consent videos' a focus of ex-world junior hockey players' trial Complainant in hockey sexual assault trial grilled about ‘porn star persona’ Complai...

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Brown points out that E.M. told police investigators in 2018 and Hockey Canada investigators in 2022 that she bought herself two shots and didn’t pay for any other drinks that night.

On video shown in court, she’s seen taking out money from an ATM and buying herself some drinks after the two shots.

“You said you got it wrong in 2022 because you hadn’t looked at your 2018 statement,” Brown says. “Why did you say that in 2018?”

E.M. responds: “I don’t recall saying I didn’t buy my own drinks; I said for the large portion of the night I wasn’t paying for drinks.”

Brown is going through how much E.M. has said she bought.

The morning break is over and Brown has resumed showing E.M. surveillance video from Jack’s bar.

Cross-examination will continue afterward.

Brown shows a video of players from the world junior team entering Jack’s bar one after the other.

He asks E.M. if she recognizes any of the men.

She says she can’t identify most of them.

“I didn’t know anybody that night.”

Brown has entered a new exhibit: a sheet of paper with a picture of Sam Steel, another member of the 2018 world juniors team who’s currently with the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

Handwriting under the photo says, “I don’t remember him from Jack’s but he was in the room and I performed oral on him.”

Brown and E.M. agree the London police detective wrote down E.M.’s responses to the picture at the time of their interview in 2018.

“You wrongfully accused [Steel],” Brown said after some back and forth.

Court has heard somebody else ultimately identified another defendant, Carter Hart, as a suspect who allegedly received oral sex from E.M.

“OK,” E.M. responds.

E.M. has been asked several times over the last few days about her inability to distinguish between some of the players, in particular those with blondish hair.

Brown shows E.M. videos from Jack’s bar. He points out the chronology seen on video is different than what she described in her 2022 statement to Hockey Canada.

For example, she guessed back then that she danced for a short time — maybe 15 minutes — and men bought her drinks all night.

Video shows E.M. dancing for one minute and going to the bar with a friend before buying two more shots.

“I just want to be really clear here,” Brown says. “I’m not trying to trick you into saying something. You are acknowledging that your best memory was wrong.”

E.M. says that’s not really true. She says it's impossible to have a "complete recollection of every single second” of that night.

Her 2022 statement was a high-level reconstruction, she says, not a minute-by-minute play by play.

Brown has been showing E.M. videos from Jack’s bar. She’s seen doing a shot of vodka or tequila with a friend.

Brown asks E.M. to open an envelope in her CCTV room where she’s under cross-examination. In it is a small plastic shot glass, which he says came from Jack’s.

He also shows the one-ounce shot glass to the jury and it is entered as an exhibit in the trial.

Brown summarizes E.M. had had the following to drink by about 11:20 p.m. or 11:40 p.m. ET in 2018: Two coolers at home, two Jägerbombs, a vodka or tequila shot and a vodka soda.

Inside, Brown has resumed his cross-examination from yesterday as proceedings get a testy start.

He tells E.M. she has been testifying for such a long time because she’s “not directly responding” to the questions he’s asking.

He tells her to just answer, for example, “I agree.”

She says that’s fine, but “it’s also my time to stand up for myself when I couldn’t that night, if that’s all right.”

“No, that’s not all right,” Brown says.

Justice Maria Carroccia tells E.M. to “just answer the questions you’re asked.”

One supporter called out to Brown, Formenton's lawyer, as he made his way into the courthouse this morning.

“Brown?” the woman asked. “Is it you today or your alter ego?

“I guess we’ll find out,” she continued.

“See you inside,” Brown responded.

On Thursday, Brown suggested to E.M. that she had an alter ego known as “Fun” E.M. when she was drinking in 2018.

E.M. appeared uncomfortable about the alter ego notion.

The number of E.M. supporters outside the courthouse has been growing by the day.

This morning, there are about 40 people.

Many chant:

“What do we want?”

“Justice!”

“When do we want it?”

“Now!”

You can also hear shouts of “Shame!” as many carry signs saying “I believe her” and “Stop victim blaming” as the accused men walk into the courthouse with their lawyers.

The jury is brought in through a different entrance so they don’t see the supporters.

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