n.s. teen hockey players accused of sexual assault in alleged hazing incident to be tried starting next february
1 minute read
crown attorney patrick young speaks with reporters in april after two 15-year-old hockey players were arraigned in truro youth court on charges of sexually assaulting three teammates during a hazing incident last october
steve bruce
/
the chronicle herald
eight days have been set for the trial of two minor hockey players accused of sexual assault in an alleged hazing incident in colchester county.
the two were not in truro youth court monday, when the dates for trial were set for february, march and april of 2027. they were represented by their lawyers.
because of the amount of time needed for the trial, the availability of full days on the docket and lawyers’ schedules, the trial dates are not together. the case will be heard feb. 22 and 25, march 1, 2, 4, 22 and 23, and april 1.
defence lawyer matt kennedy, who represents one of the teens, told judge jennifer maclellan that they are waiting for more crown disclosure. he said what that disclosure contains will determine whether there are any issues that need to be addressed before the trial gets underway.
jim o’neil, the defence lawyer for the other player, and crown attorney patrick young agreed with that assessment. a pre-trial date was set for aug. 20.
the 15-year-old boys, whose identities are protected under the youth criminal justice act, are accused of sexually assaulting three teammates on their under-15 team at an undisclosed location in colchester county on oct. 3, 2025.
a weapon was used in one of the sexual assaults, rcmp allege.
one of the boys is also charged with committing a common assault against one of the complainants. that offence was allegedly committed between oct. 1 and dec. 30 in truro.
the boys were 14 at the time of the alleged offences. they were arrested feb. 3
they pleaded not guilty to the charges in may. they were released after their arrests and are free on conditions.
colchester rcmp opened an investigation jan. 30 after receiving a complaint that a player had been assaulted during a hazing incident at a team gathering last october.
two other teens were arrested at the same time, but rcmp later said they were not proceeding with charges against those players.
share story
