Publication date: Jul 26, 2022 • 1 hour ago • 2 min read • 10 comments A jury has found former Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen not guilty of sexual assault. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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A jury has found former Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen not guilty of sexual assault.
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Virtanen wept openly when the verdict was read in BC Supreme Court. on Tuesday. He held his head in his hands and was comforted by his defense lawyers, while several friends and family, sitting in the front row of the courtroom, whispered “yes!” Virtanen and his lawyers declined to comment on the case as they left court. Virtanen was charged in January with sexual assault in connection with an incident in a downtown Vancouver hotel room in September 2017. He told the court last week that the woman who accused him of assault was an “enthusiastic participant” in the meeting. Virtanen, 25, of Abbotsford said they began mutually kissing and touching each other while lying in bed and helping each other take off their clothes before having sex.
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The 23-year-old woman, whose identity is covered by a publication ban, testified that she repeatedly said “no” and told Virtanen she did not want to have sex with him before he pinned her to the hotel bed with his body weight. . The court heard Virtanen and the woman met at the Calgary Stampede in July 2017. They exchanged numbers and kept in touch through text messages and direct messages on Instagram. The woman was 18 when she went to Vancouver in September to visit family and friends and do a photo shoot. She and Virtanen, then 21, made plans to meet. He picked her up from her friend’s house and took her to his hotel room. The woman testified that she had a “sinking feeling” in her stomach when they arrived, but she trusted Virtanen so she went up to his room.
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The woman at that time did not go to the police. In April 2021, she posted her story on an Instagram page for sexual assault survivors, then spoke to a reporter from Glacier Media about a newspaper story, naming Virtanen as the man who allegedly sexually assaulted her and civil suit against him. Virtanen was playing right-handed for the Canucks when the allegations surfaced in May 2021. The team placed him on leave and bought out his contract the following month. He last played in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League. Crown and defense lawyers completed their closing arguments on Monday, focusing on the credibility of the testimony given by Virtanen and the woman. Defense attorney Brock Martland told jurors the woman’s testimony was “riddled” with inconsistencies, some minor and some “major,” and said she was not a credible witness. Crown counsel Alan Ip told jurors the woman had a “stable” memory of critical details of the alleged assault and “is unwavering on important and significant points in her testimony.” The 12-person jury began deliberating Monday afternoon after five days of testimony and delivered their verdict Tuesday morning. More news, less ads, faster load time: Get unlimited, ad-lite access to the Vancouver Sun, Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites for just $14/month or $140/year. Subscribe now through the Vancouver Sun or The Province.
