The trial of five hockey players accused of gang rape has suffered another shock when Judge Maria Carroccia ruled against a jury and ordered the trial to proceed with a single judge to avoid another breakdown in the trial.

The ruling came after a juror complained that some defense attorneys were mocking the jury. The judge expressed concern that this could affect impartiality.

The state, which initially opposed the jury option, agreed to the judge option to avoid re-traumatizing the victim, who has already been testifying for nine days.

The defendants — Michael MacLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote — deny the charges. The incident occurred in the summer of 2018 at a London, Ontario, hotel while the players were in town for a celebration of their victory at the World Junior Championships.

The first jury was dismissed earlier because of inappropriate contact between a lawyer and one of the jurors. Both incidents called into question the jury's objectivity. The trial will proceed without them.