3 former UBC football players arrested and charged after sexual assault allegations
Three former UBC Thunderbirds football players have been arrested and charged with sexual assault in relation to an alleged incident at a residence located on UBC’s main Vancouver campus in 2018.
RCMP say they received a call from a woman in the early hours of a fall morning.
“Just before 4:30 a.m. on November 5, 2018 University RCMP received a 911 call from a woman who reported she had been sexually assaulted by three men, at the residence in Vancouver on Acadia Road,” reads a news statement from B.C. RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet.
The men, Treymont Levy, 26, Trivel Pinto, 25, and Ben Cummings, 24, have each been charged with one count each of sexual assault, and Levy has also been charged with one count of voyeurism, say police.
The men are all former UBC Thunderbirds football players, with Levy having played as recently as 2016 and Pinto and Cummings as recently as 2018.
“The three men have been arrested and remain in police custody at this time. They are expected to appear in a Richmond Provincial court at a later date,” Shoihet said.
A 2016 article in the UBC student newspaper quoted a Thunderbirds football player by the name of "Tremont Levy" in a story about him and his team’s volunteering for the campus’ Safewalk program.
According to court documents, Levy was also arrested on Nov. 24, 2016 for drug possession with intent to traffic, and in May 2019 was “ordered to stand trial” for the charge.
Pinto was signed to the Calgary Stampeders in January 2021, and is listed on the team’s online roster.
A LinkedIn profile for a former UBC Thunderbirds football player named Ben Cummings includes information on his volunteer work. According to his profile, he has held the position of “coach” for “UBC Football Youth Camps” from June 2014 to present day, and also volunteered with the university's Safewalk program.
Charges have been approved by BC Prosecution Service but the allegations have not been proven in court.
In a statement, UBC’s Ainsley Carr, vice president of students, said the school has known of the sexual assault allegations.
“What I can say is the university has been in contact with the RCMP since the allegations were made.”
According to player stats online, none of the men played for the Thunderbirds after the date of the alleged incident.
“Sexual violence has no place here at UBC and I can tell you those accused are no longer students at the university,” continued Carr’s statement.
Carr did not comment on Levy’s drug charge, the arrest for which took place during the third of his three seasons on the team. Online player stats suggest that Levy did not play any games after that first arrest in Nov. 2016.
Carr also did not comment on whether Cummings has been a volunteer coach for the university’s youth football program.
According to Carr, all UBC student athletes must sign on to the Varsity Code of Conduct, which is “unequivocal.” She also said that she is “shocked and saddened” by the allegations.
“UBC Athletics has prioritized general education within the student population around consent,” she said.
“This includes all athletes attending mandatory educational sessions with the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office.”
Carr did not specify the year that the training became mandatory.
Correction
June 5: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Treymont Levy’s first name, which was initially spelled incorrectly as Tremont in the RCMP’s news statement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.