Woman didn't know RNC officer accused of sexually assaulting her, lawyer says
A young woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer while he was on duty is relieved a charge has been laid, lawyer Lynn Moore says.
Moore, a well-known St. John's-based lawyer, is representing the 23-year-old on her public complaint with the RNC Public Complaints Commission.
The alleged assault happened Dec. 21, 2014 when the woman was 22. The complaint was investigated by the RNC before being passed on to the Ontario Provincial Police in April.
Douglas Snelgrove, 38, was arrested and charged Tuesday with sexual assault.
'He abused that trust'
The two did not know each other prior to the assault, Moore told CBC News.
"She engaged with him on that night because he was a police officer and she trusted him because he was a police officer, and he abused that trust," said Moore at a news conference Thursday.
The alleged assault itself, Moore said, was extremely invasive and would classify as a major sexual assault.
Moore said her client has gone through a difficult time since the alleged assault, and is relieved Snelgrove has been suspended.
One of the conditions of Snelgrove's undertaking is that he can't contact the complainant, which is a comfort to her, Moore said.
"She has been sexually assaulted in a very serious way, and she took it upon herself to go to police and complain — which in itself was an act of bravery — she did not know how the RNC would respond her to making a complaint about one of their own."
The young woman told Moore the RNC officers took her complaint seriously, treating it no differently than any other sexual assault complaint.
It was Moore who encouraged the woman to tell her story, and she agreed.
"I was a Crown attorney for a long time and I always felt that the accused person was front and centre of criminal prosecutions and investigations, and I totally understand and I support that identifies have to be protected but I always found it disheartening that the voices of the survivors of sexual assault were not heard," she said.
The public complaint will not be heard by the commission until any trial or appeals have been completed.
Snelgrove, a 10-year veteran of the force, has his first court appearance scheduled for Aug. 20. at provincial court in St. John's.