Crown set to question Carter Hart, 1st accused player to testify at ex-world juniors sex assault trial

Friendly cross-examination and what’s astatine stake

Carter Hart, 1 of the 5 erstwhile satellite inferior hockey players connected trial, was cross-examined by the different defendants’ defence lawyers yesterday.

But, dissimilar immoderate cases, his cross-exam wasn't hostile, says Toronto transgression defence lawyer Alison Craig.

“It wouldn't beryllium the benignant of cross-examination that you spot connected TV with the lawyer finger-pointing, and yelling and making accusations. It would beryllium a full batch of softballs,” she says.

Nick Cake agrees.

“These defendants are affable with each different and … they person each toed the enactment enactment from Day 1 that thing incorrect happened successful that room,” says the London-based defence lawyer and erstwhile Crown attorney.

Hart was a goaltender for the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers for six seasons. He’s present a escaped agent, which means helium could motion a caller declaration arsenic of July 1.

The proceedings and verdict are apt to interaction his career, which is wherefore Craig says his grounds is important — some professionally and personally.

“He tin rejuvenate his hockey vocation if he's acquitted,” she says. “But much importantly, if it goes severely and he's convicted, he'll astir surely service jailhouse time” and his beingness volition beryllium impacted by a transgression record, she says.

“It’s astir apt the biggest infinitesimal of his beingness to date.

Why an accused would testify

I’m Karen Pauls, a elder newsman and portion of the CBC squad covering this trial.

Legal observers not progressive successful the satellite inferior hockey proceedings accidental they weren’t amazed to spot Carter Hart participate the witnesser container and attest successful his ain defence yesterday.

“This is the accidental that helium has to wide his name,” says Nick Cake, a erstwhile Crown lawyer and present transgression defence lawyer based successful London, Ont. “There are astatine slightest 2 sides to each story. … He's telling his mentation of events.”

“Even if the Crown's lawsuit is weak, the grounds earlier the proceedings justice presently is that it was not consensual. That comes from the complainant,” adds Alison Craig, a transgression defence lawyer from Toronto.

“It’s, successful my view, precise unsafe not to telephone your lawsuit successful a intersexual battle lawsuit wherever the contented is consent.”

That’s because, she explains, it gives the justice — successful this case, Justice Maria Carroccia — much routes to a imaginable acquittal:

• If she believes the accused, she indispensable acquit.
• If she doesn’t judge everything the accused said, but if it leaves her with a lingering doubt, she indispensable acquit.
• Even if she has nary doubts aft proceeding from the accused, she inactive has to see if the Crown proved its lawsuit beyond a tenable doubt. If not, the verdict should beryllium acquittal.

I’m a shaper based successful Toronto and I’ll beryllium curating our unrecorded leafage arsenic the London, Ont., proceedings for 5 erstwhile satellite inferior hockey players wraps up this week.

Our squad is backmost successful tribunal to bring you the latest developments. To get up to velocity connected yesterday’s developments, click here.

We’re expecting tribunal to resume astatine astir 10 a.m. ET.