Women file suit alleging they were sexually assaulted by Newfoundland police officers
Seven women have filed a lawsuit alleging they were sexually assaulted by "various" on-duty officers with Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial police force between 2001 and 2017.
The women allege officers with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary offered them rides home at night -- mostly from busy, bar-lined George Street in downtown St. John's -- and then assaulted them.
Their statement of claim filed Sept. 9 in the province's Supreme Court names the government of Newfoundland and Labrador -- which is responsible for the force -- as the sole defendant in the case. It alleges the government "knew or ought to have known" that officers were targeting women in the St. John's area, and that the government is vicariously liable for the assaults.
"Further, having knowledge of the sexual misconduct ... the (government) had a duty to warn the public of this danger and failed to do so," the statement of claim says.
In one instance, a woman alleges she was driven to a remote area and forced to perform oral sex on an unnamed Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer in 2001 after he'd offered her a ride home. She initially resisted but he "intimated" that he would leave her stranded if she refused his advances, the statement of claim says.
Another woman alleges in the document that she was raped by an unnamed officer in her house in 2014 after he gave her a ride home from a night of drinking, according to the document.
None of the allegations have been proven in court. The women's names are protected by a publication ban, and their lawyer said Tuesday they are not pursuing criminal charges.
"The women involved in this case have seen what happens in the criminal justice system and they don't like it," the lawyer, Lynn Moore, said in an interview. "It's a really traumatizing process."
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary shares policing duties in the province with the RCMP. The force has been rocked by sexual misconduct allegations that began after a woman came forward in 2015 alleging Const. Carl Douglas Snelgrove sexually assaulted her in her home after driving her home from downtown St. John's. The case went to trial three times following a successful appeal and a mistrial, and Snelgrove was convicted last year. He is appealing that conviction.
Only one officer is identified in the lawsuit: retired Royal Newfoundland Constabulary sergeant Robert Baldwin is named by two plaintiffs. One woman alleges Baldwin kissed and touched her without her consent in 2017, after offering her a ride home in his marked police car. The other alleges he entered her home and sexually assaulted her after offering her a ride home in 2015.
Baldwin denies the claims.
"We can categorically deny the allegations that have been made against him, which have not yet been proven," Glenda Best, Baldwin's lawyer, said in an emailed statement Monday evening. He is also named in a suit filed in January alleging he raped a fellow officer in 2014, after offering her a ride home. Baldwin denies those claims as well, according to court documents.
Moore said it is impossible to say exactly how many officers were involved in the alleged assaults. "The women involved, by and large, did not know the police officers and were only able to provide a description," she said, adding that based on those descriptions, she believes "several" officers were involved.
Moore said she expects more women will come forward with allegations, but she notes that class could be a barrier. So far, she said, she has only been approached with allegations from middle-class women.
"It seems to me that if someone is looking to exploit women, they might start off with women who are more living on the margins," she said. "I'm very concerned that their voices are not being heard."
The statement of claim says the women suffered physical and psychological harm as a result of the officers' alleged sexual misconduct. Some plaintiffs are in counselling, and some have had trouble supporting themselves, the document says.
The lawsuit seeks damages and costs for the plaintiffs. Moore said the women are also hoping to spark change within the police force.
"They are interested in reforming the system," she said. "They're hopeful that this case will ... prompt the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to think about how they're training their officers and what messages are being spread in their institution."
Newfoundland and Labrador's Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Florida deputies who fatally shot U.S. airman burst into wrong apartment, attorney says
Deputies responding to a disturbance call at a Florida apartment complex burst into the wrong unit and fatally shot a Black U.S. Air Force airman who was home alone when they saw he was armed with a gun, an attorney for the man's family said Wednesday.
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.