VANCOUVER (British Columbia) — On Tuesday, a jury found former Vancouver Canucks Forward Jake Virtanen After a week of salacious testimony, I was not found guilty of sexual assault.
Virtanen (25 years old) wept openly as the verdict was read at the Supreme Court of British Columbia. He shook his head, and his lawyers helped him. Several of his friends who were seated in front of the courtroom said “yes!”
As they left the courtroom, Virtanen’s lawyers and Virtanen declined to comment.
In January, Virtanen faced charges of sexual assault for an incident that took place in a Vancouver hotel in September 2017.
Last week, he told the court that the woman accusing him of assault was an “enthusiastic participate” in the encounter. He stated that they started kissing and touching each other as they lay in bed, and he helped them take off their clothes before they had sex.
The 23-year old woman testified that she said repeatedly “no” to Virtanen and that she didn’t want to have sex before he pinned him to her hotel bed with his body.
According to the court, Virtanen met the woman at Calgary Stampede in July 2017. They exchanged numbers, and they kept in touch via Instagram and text.
The young woman was only 18 when she drove from her home in the Netherlands to Vancouver to visit her relatives and friends and take part in a photo shoot. She planned to meet Virtanen (then 21). He collected her from her friend’s home and took her to the 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.
The woman didn’t report to the police at that time.
In April 2021, she posted the story to an Instagram account for victims of sexual abuse. Next, she spoke with a Glacier Media reporter about a newspaper story. The story referred to Virtanen as her alleged attacker and she filed a civil lawsuit against him.
Virtanen, who was playing right wing for Canucks, was accused of a series of sexual assaults in May 2021. He was placed on leave by the team and his contract was terminated the next month. He played his last game in the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League.
Following five days’ worth of testimony, Monday saw the start of deliberations by the 12-member jury. The closing arguments were focused on the reliability and credibility of the testimony by Virtanen, the woman.
Brock Martland, a defense lawyer, stated to the jury that the testimony of the woman was “riddled” by inconsistencies. Some minor and others “fundamental” and that she was not a reliable witness.
Alan Ip, Crown counsel, told jurors that the woman had a solid memory of the details of the alleged assault. She also stated that she was “unshaken” on key points.