OPP officer found guilty of sexually assaulting unconscious woman and filming it

WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

A judge has found that Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Const.Jason Redmond sexually assaultedan unconscious woman while recording it on his mobile phone, and heard from witnesses that Redmonddid it to show the victim "how easily she could be raped when she was drunk,"and "to teach [her] a lesson."

In a two-day, judge-only trial ata Brockville courthouse last August, JusticeJanet O'Brien heardCrown witness testimonies that she recounted when delivering her decision earlierthis year,a court transcript obtained by CBC News shows. Redmond was convicted of sexual assault.

The judge read in her ruling that according toonewitness,Redmond was "proving a point" to the victim that she had a drinking problem, and"he made the video to show thatanybody could rape her."

Redmond was previously convicted of drug trafficking in 2018but received onlyone 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.

In Oct. 2021, Redmond was arrested and charged with sexual assault,according to the OPP. In an emailed statement, theOPP said itdid not issue a press releaseinformingthe public of the charge at the time"in an effort to protect the identity of the victim."Redmondpleaded not guilty.

The final ruling was delivered on Feb. 16,just overfive years after the assault happened.

'He thought it was funny'

Thecourt transcript shows that justiceO'Brien heardabout the assault and the video from five witnesses,including the victimand others inRedmond's inner circle.

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.

According to the court transcript, the judge found that the assault took place in December2017, after the victim "consumed a large amount of alcohol to the point of extreme intoxication." The court also heard that both thevictim and Redmond had used cocaine several times that day.

"[She] lostconsciousness either because she went to sleep or as a result of the effects of alcohol, or a combination of these," the judge said.

According to the judge, Redmond told the victim the next daythat "he had sexual intercourse with herwhile she was passed out, that she wasn't aware of it, and that he had recorded it on his phone," andheld his phone out to show her.

JusticeO'Brien recalled the victim testifyingthat she was embarrassedshe couldn't remember what had happened, so she pushed his hand away, did not watch the video and went about her day as normal.

Shortly after,several people in Redmond's inner circle became aware that the video existed, includingthosewho testified in court.

Three witnesses, not including the victim,said they learned about the video directly from Redmond,who tried to show it to them. Another witness claimed to have unintentionally found the video.

The judge said sheheard from one witness who said when Redmond told them about the video, they "thought at first it was a joke because [he] was kind of laughing."

"He appeared to find what he had done funny and was making fun of [the victim]."

Another witness testified that on a different occasion, Redmond said he was "teaching [the victim] a lesson," and laughed about a member of his inner circle finding and watching the video.

The witness who found the video told the court that when they confronted Redmond about it, he said"he did it to teach [the victim] a lesson about how easily she could be raped when shewasdrunk."

In his defence, court transcripts show that Redmond said none of the Crown witnesses were credible or reliable, including the victim who was "drinking excessively" at the time of the incident. According to the judge, Redmond also brought up how no video was shown to the court, despite several witnesses testifying to its existence.

OPP seeking dismissal

In an emailed statement, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carriquesaid the police forcehas been seeking dismissal of Redmond since his initial conviction ofdrug trafficking in 2018.

"This behaviour is unacceptable for any police officer and cannot be tolerated,"Carriquewrote.

Carrique explained that theOPP'sProfessional Standards Unit laid charges under the Police Services Actshortly after Redmond's initial conviction.

He was then convicted on thecharges, and the adjudicator for the caseordered thatRedmondbe dismissed from the OPP but denied a request to avoid automatically staying the conviction and penalty if appealed.

The OPP wrote that the dismissal ruling was immediately appealed byRedmond,which has allowed him to continue to collect his salary for the last seven and a half years while being suspended on paid leave.

The appeal is now the subject of a hearing on June15, before the Ontario Civilian Police Commission.

Redmond'sname was included on the 2021 Ontario Sunshine List, which is annually published by the province and publicly disclosesthe names of all public sector employees who earned $100,000 or more.

According to the list, Redmond made $121,047.96 that year.

According to OPP, 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."

He's set to appear before the courtfor sentencing in this case on April14.

The Police Association of Ontario, which isthe official provincial representative of 45 police associations across the province, told CBC in an emailed statement that it does notcondone criminal conduct of any kind, by anyone.

"This case is disturbing and we're glad to see the individual will be held responsible," a spokesperson wrote.

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through thisGovernment of Canada websiteor theEnding 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.