Police Chief Steve Williams said Wednesday that because of significant public interest, he is directing an internal review to determine whether anything was missed. The announcement comes about a week after Hockey Canada issued an apology and a series of announcements in an open letter. The organization said it was reopening its own investigation, through a third party, into allegations by a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted in a room at the Delta Armories hotel in London by some members of the gold medal-winning team. Williams said the police investigation lasted eight months and concluded in February 2019. “To ensure due diligence, given the seriousness of this allegation, I have ordered an internal review of the investigation to determine what, if any, additional investigative avenues may exist,” the chief said in a statement. The woman who made the assault allegations is now 24. He was seeking $3.55 million in damages from Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and the unnamed players. The complainant, now 24, claims she was sexually assaulted in a room at the Delta Armories hotel in London in June 2018. (Wikipedia Commons) Hockey Canada quietly settled the case out of court in June, and details of the settlement have not been made public. None of the allegations have been proven in court. Since the settlement was revealed, Hockey Canada has lost major sponsors and frozen its government funding. At the time, Hockey Canada had hired Toronto law firm Henein Hutchison LLP to conduct its investigation. During a parliamentary standing committee meeting, Hockey Canada president Scott Smith said players were “strongly encouraged” to participate in the inquiry, but there was no mandate. Earlier this week, it was revealed in court documents that the sport’s governing body had a statutory fund for uninsured liabilities, including sexual assault cases. This resulted in further criticism, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called the fund “unacceptable”. Hockey Canada has since said it will no longer use the fund, which is maintained by membership fees, to settle sexual assault claims. In its announcements this week about the resumption of the third-party investigation, Hockey Canada said it would make it mandatory for players to participate in it. Williams said London police would begin its review immediately, adding that there was no timetable for its completion.
