Sexual assault charges against three former UBC football players stayed

Charges have been stayed against three former UBC football players accused of sexual assault, ending the criminal proceeding. 

The three former players — Tremont Levy, Trivel Pinto and Ben Cummings — were arrested and charged in June 2021. Since charges have been stayed, criminal proceedings will not continue. 

The charges stemmed from a call made to the University RCMP in November 2018 from a woman who reported she had been sexually assaulted by three men at a residence on Acadia Road. The RCMP Major Crime Section led the investigation following the report.

Dan McLaughlin, communications counsel for the BC Prosecution Service, confirmed the decision to stay the charges in an email to The Ubyssey. 

The decision was made on January 25, when “the Crown Counsel with conduct of the file concluded the charges no longer met the charge assessment standard,” according to McLaughlin.  

The assessment standard is based on whether there is a “substantial likelihood of conviction,” and following that, whether it is in the public interest to prosecute. 

McLaughlin did not specify which part of the test the Crown Counsel determined no longer met the assessment standard.

Pinto played for UBC until a 2019 suspension from play after testing positive for cocaine. He also played for the Calgary Stampeders from 2020 to 2021 before retiring to fight the assault charge.

Levy was a defensive lineman for the Thunderbirds for three years until the 2016/17 season. Cummings was a running back during his time at UBC, and graduated in 2019.