Drummondville, QC – Former Voltigeurs de Drummondville hockey player Noah Corson will receive a new trial after the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned his previous conviction, according to reports from Radio-Canada and Noovo Info.
Corson, 28, was initially found guilty in February 2024 of group sexual assault against a teenage girl. He was sentenced to two years less a day in detention. The case stems from events that occurred in the fall of 2016 following an evening at La Cage – Brasserie sportive. Reports indicate Corson and two other players went to an apartment with the then-15-year-old victim, where sexual contact occurred.
The Court of Appeal ruled that Judge Paul Dunnigan made errors in evaluating the defense’s argument regarding the age of consent, specifically failing to consider certain evidence favorable to the accused and inadequately analyzing key aspects of his testimony, as detailed by Vingt55. The court found that the judge did not fully consider testimony from Corson who believed he was in the victim’s apartment on the night in question.
Noah-Lee Jetté Corson, the son of former Montreal Canadiens player Shayne Corson, maintained he believed the encounter was consensual. The legal threshold in the case centered on whether Corson took reasonable steps to verify the victim’s age, as a person under 16 cannot legally consent to group sexual activity.
Two other individuals accused in the assault previously entered guilty pleas in youth court. A new trial date for Corson has not yet been announced. This decision marks a significant development in a case that has drawn considerable attention in Quebec’s hockey community.
Attorney Jasmin Laperle successfully argued for the new trial, according to Noovo Info.
