OPP officer who sexually assaulted and filmed unconscious woman could face 'exemplary' sentence
WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer found guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman while recording it on his mobile phone should be sentenced to five to seven years behind bars, the Crown told court on Wednesday.
The request by Crown attorney Peter Napier, made during a sentencing hearing in Brockville, Ont. for Const. Jason Redmond, is above the typical range of three to five years.
Redmond's lawyer Karin Stein suggested the lower end of the range — three years — was more appropriate.
Napier said the longer sentence was necessary given what he described as the "horrendous sexual assault" followed by a "litany of torment."
"Some cases have such a stark constellation of aggravating features that they call out for an exemplary sentence," he said in court.
Napier pointed out Redmond remains a police officer.
"To say that one would expect more is a gross understatement," said Napier.
"He ought to have known the moral blameworthiness of what he was doing and he ought to have known the harm he was causing, and the fact he tried to show everyone what he had done was just deplorable."
Lawyer says officer doesn't plan to return to OPP
Stein said her client has received death threats and continues to struggle with PTSD from childhood and work-related trauma, as well as an ongoing addiction to crack cocaine.
She also said Redmond has not been an active officer since 2014 and a pre-sentence report indicates he does not plan to return to policing.
"His status as a police officer is not long for this world, put it that way," she added.
Redmond sat in court next to Stein, with a greying beard and wearing a suit jacket, vest and jeans.
When asked by Justice Janet O'Brien if he had anything to say, he answered "respectfully no, your honour."
He was convicted of sexual assault on Feb. 16, just over five years after the incident in December 2017.
Court previously heard from witnesses that Redmond committed sexual assault, and filmed it, to show the victim "how easily she could be raped when she was drunk," and "to teach [her] a lesson," as first reported by the Recorder and Times newspaper.
In a two-day, judge-only trial held last August, O'Brien heard Crown witness testimonies, which she recounted while delivering her decision earlier this year, according to a court transcript obtained by CBC News.
According to one witness, Redmond was "proving a point" to the victim that she had a drinking problem, and "he made the video to show that anybody could rape her," the judge read in her ruling.
In his defence, court transcripts show he argued none of the Crown witnesses were credible or reliable, including the victim who was "drinking excessively" at the time of the incident.
The officer was previously convicted of drug trafficking in 2018, but received only one year of probation and no jail time. He has been on paid leave from the OPP since he was charged in that case in 2015.
Redmond was arrested and charged with sexual assault in October 2021, according to the OPP. In an emailed statement, the police force said it did not issue a news release informing the public of the charge at the time "in an effort to protect the identity of the victim."
CBC News is not naming the victim or the witnesses in this case, as the victim's identity and some of the circumstances surrounding the sexual assault are protected by a publication ban.
Napier said the assault had a "profound" impact on the victim, referring to statements where she described dealing with extreme anxiety, a fear of trusting others and having to live through "this nightmare" along with her family.
Police force seeking dismissal
In an emailed statement, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique previously said the force has been seeking Redmond's dismissal since his initial conviction of drug trafficking in 2018.
"This behaviour is unacceptable for any police officer and cannot be tolerated," Carrique wrote.
At the time, the OPP said Redmond is still before the court "facing 17 additional serious criminal charges including assault, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and others in connection with multiple victims."
Sentencing for the sexual assault is scheduled to take place on June 16.
Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
