Teen hockey players arrested for sexual assault following hazing incident: Manitoba RCMP
Three teenagers were arrested in connection with a pair of alleged hazing incidents on a Manitoba hockey team, police say.
The three teens, all 17 years old, were arrested on April 15 for sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault, and forcible confinement, while one was arrested for assault and sexual assault.
None of the allegations have been proven in court, and charges have not been officially laid.
RCMP said the arrests stem from two separate incidents of hazing involving five male victims, aged 15 and 16, who were rookies on the hockey team from the Pembina Valley area.
Police say the incidents happened in November 2023 and January 2024 at a Winnipeg hotel while the team was in the city to play in hockey tournaments.
The three were released on an undertaking, and are scheduled to appear in court in Winnipeg on June 10.
‘We took them very seriously’: RCMP
Staff Sergeant Richard Sherring with the RCMP’s major crimes unit said Mounties began their investigation in February.
“The incident was reported to the Pembina Valley RCMP by a high school principal after it was brought forward to her by one of the coaching staff,” he said.
Sherring said hazing incidents are concerning, and teenagers need to understand that their actions could have serious consequences.
“At the end of the day, every person participating in sports should be able to do so in a safe environment,” he said. “When these allegations were brought forward to us, we took them very seriously and investigated them.”
Sherring said RCMP believes no other charges are expected in this incident.
In a statement, the Manitoba High School Athletic Association said it was aware of the arrests and its primary concern is the health and safety of student-athletes.
“The MHSAA is monitoring the situation and remains committed to providing support to the Prairie Spirit School Division, Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine, and Prairie Rose School Division as they work through this matter,” a statement from the organization reads.
“The allegations are deeply troubling, and we take them very seriously. Given that this remains a legal matter, the MHSAA will refrain from further comments at this time.”
Hockey Manitoba also issued a statement, saying it takes the allegations “very seriously.”
“The alleged behavior has no place in the game of hockey,” said Peter Woods, executive director of Hockey Manitoba, in a statement.
Hockey Manitoba added it had no further comment on the incident as the matter is in the hands of police.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
NEW A mother's hopes to free her son from a Syrian prison is revitalized by a new human rights report
Just days before the seventh anniversary of the day Jack Letts was thrown in prison with thousands of suspected ISIS fighters, his mother, Sally Lane, delivered a small stack of envelopes to the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.
DEVELOPING Police begin removing barricades at a pro-Palestinian demonstrators' encampment at UCLA
Police removed barricades and began dismantling a pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ fortified encampment early Thursday at the UCLA campus after hundreds of protesters defied police orders to leave, about 24 hours after counter-protesters attacked a tent encampment on the campus.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.