OTTAWA—Charges of assault and sexual assault have been withdrawn against former Toronto Maple Leafs player Dave “Tiger” Williams after he apologized for his “actions” during a military goodwill trip.

But in an impact statement, the complainant — a military flight attendant — said the 2017 incident has left her struggling with PTSD that has cost her a flying career she loved and may bring an end to her time in uniform.

“I feel entirely worthless as a result of being objectified by Mr. Williams and his actions, and left to deal with it on my own when the military should be supporting me,” she wrote. “I was blamed for ruining the fun that Team Canada flights used to be.

She said an apology is a good thing, “but it should be heartfelt and freely offered.

“For him to give a half-hearted non-apology does not make my heart happy.”

Williams, 65, was charged in February 2018 with a single count each of assault and sexual assault in relation to incidents on board an Air Force CC-150 Polaris aircraft.

The December 2017 trip took senior officers and former NHL hockey stars, Olympians and entertainers to Athens, Greece, to meet the crew of the frigate HMCS Charlottetown and then on to Latvia to visit Armed Forces personnel on deployment.

Read more:

‘Tiger’ Williams continued tour while victim of alleged sex assault flew home to Canada

Maple Leafs star Tiger Williams charged with sexual assault

Air force personnel felt pressure to ignore misbehaviour by VIP passengers, report reveals

Williams was originally scheduled to stand trial for eight days in June, but the case was resolved Tuesday afternoon in a brief hearing at an Ottawa courthouse before Justice Norman Boxall.

The former NHL player did not appear, but his lawyer Michael Lacy presented a signed statement from Williams.

“During the (flight) I consumed alcohol. My behaviour towards one staff member on the plane caused her to feel uncomfortable. I do regret my actions and I apologize,” Williams wrote in his statement.

In response, Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham sought to have the charges against Williams withdrawn.

“Although there is a reasonable prospect of a conviction in this case, given the statement by Mr. Williams that has been filed and the apology that he has made, we do not feel that it is in the public interest to proceed with the prosecution,” Cunningham told the near-empty court. “The Crown is asking that the charge be withdrawn on that basis.”

A statement of “agreed background facts” filed with the court said Williams was taking part in a military-organized trip with troops overseas. During the flight, most passengers consumed “alcohol,” people mingled through the cabin and music was played. “There was a party atmosphere,” the statement said.

“One of the flight attendants ... reported that she had been physically touched on two occasions by Mr. Williams while he was interacting with her during the flight,” the statement said.

Lacy stressed that Williams’s statement was not an admission of civil or criminal wrongdoing.

“The matter was set for trial. It’s being resolved in a different way,” he told the court. “If the manner had proceeded to trial, we would have vigorously defended.”

Lacy also said that Williams “was not admitting any of the contents” of the complainant’s statement. “Mr. Williams is not acknowledging the accuracy or correctness or otherwise of the document,” he said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

In her impact statement, the complainant — whose identity is protected by a publication ban — painted a picture of military goodwill flights on which booze flowed freely and the flight attendants felt powerless to curb bad behaviour by VIP guests passengers.

“These ‘party flights’ had gone on for years ... and it took a major incident to become public and a pilot to make the right choice that this needed to stop and that none of this behaviour was acceptable,” she wrote.

“Some of the passengers were so inebriated, they were stumbling, drooling, urinating themselves,” wrote the complainant, who was in court Tuesday.

She criticized the senior ranks for not being supportive, including those on the flight. “The incident happened right in front of high ranking military officials, who did nothing,” she wrote.

“I felt very powerless and lost on the flight, as the example is supposed to come from the top, ‘if you see something, say something’ but the top was right there and they didn’t do anything to help us,” she wrote.

She said the flight attendants had been told before that flight that VIPs “did what they wanted to.”

“If it had happened anywhere else in my life, I would have immediately raised my voice in protest and defended myself but … I felt that I would get trouble if I defended myself verbally with a ‘VIP,’ she said.

The former flight attendant is now grounded for health reasons and fears she may never be able to get well enough to continue her military career. She suffers from anxiety, has nightmares about the incident and says she is a “husk” of who she once was — outgoing and motivated. “Now I’m terrified, depressed, medicated and anxious. My entire world has been flipped upside down.

“Mr. Williams has taken so much away from me,” she wrote.

“None of this would have been an issue if Mr. Williams had not imbibed a large amount of alcohol, both prior to and on the flight, and did what he did.”

In the wake of the charges last year, Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, halted all Team Canada flights and declared that if they do resume, there would be no alcohol served onboard.

In a statement to the Star after Tuesday’s court hearing, the defence department said that its employees have a right to a harassment-free workplace.

“Many aspects of the December 2017 Team Canada flight were extremely regrettable and should not have occurred,” the statement said.

“While we review this decision, we will be reaching out to the victim to address any concerns in order to ensure he/she is being properly cared for during this very trying time,” the department said.