Former Quebec youth hockey player Noah Corson has been found guilty of sexual assault

Former youth hockey player Noah Corson was found guilty of sexual assault. The sentence was handed down Friday morning in a Drummondville court following Corson's November arraignment.

It is forbidden to publish the identity of the victim. He was 15 years old at the time of the attack in 2016.

The Crown and the defense agreed that Corson had engaged in group sex with two other hockey players at the appellant's residence. However, the court debate focused on whether or not the victim had consented to the act and whether Corson had verified her age.

Corson assured the court that he was certain the victim was at least 18 years old, while Coron argued that he was either “reckless” or “willfully blind.”

In his sentencing, Judge Paul Dunnigan said the defendant had not taken all reasonable steps he should have taken to establish the complainant's age. In this case, the judge did not need to rule on the consent issue.

According to the Criminal Code, a person under the age of 16 cannot consent to group sex.

Unwanted group sex is considered aggravated assault under Article 272 d) of the Penal Code, and the complainant's consent to the act is not a defense.

“You can tell the court that you made a mistake about the age of the victim, but you have to take all reasonable steps to verify the age of the victim,” said prosecutor Marc-Andre Roy.

“Justice disagreed that he took all reasonable steps … (Corson) didn't ask any questions.”

According to Roy, this decision may be the first of its kind for hockey players. He hopes it will “be a lesson to all the young boys.”

“I think about the victim. I think about her courage, because it's not an easy thing to go to court in a case,” Roy said. “I think about all the psychological wounds he has and I hope this decision helps him live.”

Corson was 18 years old at the time of the attack and played for the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He is the son of former Montreal Canadiens center Shane Corson.

The Youth Offending Act prevents the identification of the other two young men involved in the attack. They were found guilty of sexual assault in youth court last year.

According to the agreed statement of facts, the appellant did not know the two Voltigeurs players before meeting them on the night of the attack. She dated a third young man for several weeks, but did not have a relationship with him.

Having spent part of the evening in a restaurant, the group went to the victim's house. After that, sexual acts with the victim began, followed by group sex without the victim's consent.

During the attack, one of the minor defendants recorded a video on his mobile phone.

Radio-Canada reported that Noah Corson walked out of the courtroom with his hand on his face.

The parties will return to court for sentencing on May 3.