Lawsuit claims Halifax police officer who mentored youth abused teen in 1980s

The lawyer for a 55-year-old man alleging he was sexually abused in the 1980s by a Halifax police officer who won accolades for his work with youth says he suspects there could be more victims who haven't yet come forward.

In a statement of claim filed last week in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, the man, who is identified by the initials T.A., alleges that when he was a teen he was sexually groomed and then repeatedly assaulted during police "ride-alongs" with Const. Terry Graves.

Graves, who died in 2013, had founded a group called Halifax Police Venturers, a youth program the statement of claim said received funding and oversight from the Halifax Police Department.

The plaintiff is suing the Halifax Regional Municipality, which the statement of claim said is responsible for the Halifax Regional Police and its predecessor, the Halifax Police Department.

Youth work, charges

Graves worked extensively with youth, including with the Scouts, and in 1999 started a summer day camp for young people. He won a number of honours, including a Queen's Jubilee medal.

But in 2004, Graves was charged with sexually assaulting a young person who worked at the summer camp. The allegations stemmed from a camping trip four years earlier at Dollar Lake, northeast of Halifax, when the complainant was 16 years old.

A Crown attorney, however, ended the prosecution in 2005 following a preliminary inquiry, saying there was no realistic prospect of conviction, according to media reports at the time.

Liam O'Reilly, the lawyer who filed the statement of claim for T.A., said he's not aware of any other allegations against Graves, but believes there could be other people who were abused.

"Usually, it's not one incident or one survivor, it's usually multiple instances and multiple survivors," he said in an interview.

Last week's court filing said the sexual abuse faced by T.A. included a 1986 assault by Graves during a camping trip at Dollar Lake.

2015 complaint

T.A. had wanted to become a police officer, according to the suit. Graves was his mentor in Halifax Police Venturers, and T.A. often joined him for ride-alongs, where civilians were allowed to go on patrol with officers.

It's alleged Graves abused T.A. during the ride-alongs, and at the police station and Venturers' events.

The lawsuit said T.A. went to police with his allegations in 2015, but an unidentified officer said the file would be closed because Graves had died two years earlier. The lawsuit claims the officer "threatened or intimidated" T.A. into not pursuing the complaint.

The suit also alleges Graves himself showed up in 1990, in police uniform, at T.A.'s workplace and threatened and intimidated him into not pursuing a criminal complaint against him.

A spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality said there would be no comment as the case is before the courts. No statement of defence has been filed.

Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. Martin Cromwell said in an email the allegations are "extremely serious." He said Graves retired in 2009 following a 30-year career, but declined further comment.