There was another court appearance Wednesday for four members of an Alberta high school football team charged with the sexual assault of a teammate last month. Lethbridge Police Headquarters is shown in Lethbridge, Alta., on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Rossiter
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – There was another court appearance Wednesday for four members of an Alberta high school football team charged with the sexual assault of a teammate last month.
Police allege a 16-year-old boy was assaulted in the locker room of a school in Lethbridge after regular hours on Oct. 3.
The accused, who are 16 and 17, have been charged with sexual assault with a weapon, assault with a weapon and forcible confinement.
Because of their ages, they cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The four teens were arrested and released from custody on conditions, which include not having contact with the complainant or attending the school.
One of the accused appeared in person in Lethbridge youth court. His lawyer said an application would be made asking for an alteration of his release conditions.
Other lawyers said they have only been receiving “dribs and drabs” of information from the Crown about the case and asked that the matter return to court Dec. 13.
Police served a search warrant at the school and seized a weapon, but have not said what it is.
The Crown has previously indicated it is to proceed by indictment, signalling the seriousness of the charges and sending the matter to the Court of King’s Bench.
All football at the high school was initially suspended and was then cancelled for the rest of the season by the Lethbridge School Division.
It said although the players and coaches have done everything asked of them, more needs to be done.
The division put out an update last week expressing concern about the harassment some members of the team have been subjected to.
“Members of the football team, coaches and even families of players, have been targeted for hurtful and misinformed accusations and harassment. Anyone involved in this type of behaviour needs to stop immediately,” said the statement.
“We are disappointed this misinformation has been used to negatively impact how members of the football team are perceived and we apologize we were not able to do more to stem the tide of misinformation.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2023.
