RCMP inspector accused of groping civilian employees

RCMP in Ottawa are investigating one of their own inspectors after two civilian employees raised complaints about inappropriate touching at a recent regimental event.

The women allege Insp. Brian Redmond groped them at a dinner held for around 100 employees at RCMP "A" Division in Ottawa on April 20. 

The women have alleged Redmond, the division's intelligence officer, got drunk and patted or slapped their rear ends. 

In an emailed response to questions from CBC News, RCMP spokeswoman Lucy Shorey said Redmond has been removed from duty with pay while the force conducts a code of conduct investigation — and that as of last Thursday, his commanding officer "has served notice to the member that he is seeking to stop his pay."

Shorey declined to make any further comments.

Redmond already has a reputation for dishonourable behaviour. CBC News obtained two previous RCMP adjudication board reports outlining how in 2000 and 2001, when Redmond ran the Mounties' undercover training operations, he had sex with one of his female students and intimate relations with three other women. 

When another candidate on the course reported the sexual relations to a supervisor, Redmond and the supervisor cooked up a scheme to ensure the man passed the course even though he had been found unsuitable for undercover duties. 

The adjudication report also describes how, when the RCMP investigated those allegations, Redmond tried to intimidate one of the investigators and made false statements to two others. 

At his disciplinary hearing Redmond apologized and said he had stopped drinking. But adjudicators wrote that Redmond lacked integrity, ethics and honesty. 

"Any reasonable person can only wonder how Inspector Redmond could ever be objective towards female candidates in general and more particularly those with whom he had intimate relationships. His objectivity and impartiality would certainly be questioned," the adjudicators wrote. 

"For a person in authority, this is a serious character flaw." 

The board docked Redmond 25 days' pay and transferred him to Ottawa. It wasn't long before Redmond got into trouble again. One night in the fall of 2005, after a few drinks, Redmond was pulled over after driving on a road dedicated to Ottawa city bus traffic. 

He told the transit officer he was "on the job" and tried, unsuccessfully, to talk him out of calling Ottawa Police. His licence was suspended for 12 hours. 

At Redmond's 2008 disciplinary hearing on that matter, the adjudication board found the "misconduct was minor in nature." 

"Nonetheless, we have given strong weight to the prior disciplinary action," the board said in its decision to dock him five days' pay.

Redmond did not respond to CBC's request for an interview.