Former UBC football team members charged in 2018 campus sexual assault

RCMP say three men have been charged with sexual assault in relation to an incident at the University of British Columbia in 2018. 

Treymont Levy, 26, Trivel Pinto, 25, and Ben Cummings, 24, have been charged with one count each of sexual assault. Levy has also been charged with an additional count of voyeurism. 

According the UBC Thunderbirds website, all three men were part of the university's football team. One of them, Trivel Pinto, has since been drafted to the Calgary Stampeders. 

Police say just before 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2018 a woman called to say she was sexually assaulted by three men at a campus residence on Acadia Road. 

University RCMP investigated, with the help of the B.C. RCMP Major Crime Section. 

Accused in police custody

The B.C. Prosecution Service has approved the charges, RCMP say, and the three men are in police custody. They're expected to appear in provincial court in Richmond at a later date. 

In a written statement, Supt. Sanjaya Wijayakoon said "there may be questions related to the circumstances around this assault" but no further information will be provided because the case is now before the courts. 

The Major Crime Section's current priority is to provide support for the victim, Wijayakoon said. 

UBC 'shocked and saddened'

In a written statement, UBC said the entire university is "shocked and saddened" by the allegations. 

The university clarified that the accused are no longer UBC students. 

Ainsley Carry, the school's vice president for students, said the university has been in touch with RCMP regarding the allegations.

Carry said all varsity athletes sign a Varsity Code of Conduct, and UBC athletics has "prioritized general education within the student population around consent," which includes mandatory sessions with the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office. 

Do you have more to add to this story? Contact reporter Maryse Zeidler at maryse.zeidler@cbc.ca