OPP officer guilty of sexual assault on unconscious woman and recording it to 'teach her a lesson'
A judge found Jason Redmond made a video of the assault to 'prove' the victim had a drinking problem and 'to show that anybody could rape her'
nationalpost.com
An Ontario Provincial Police officer in Leeds County was convicted of sexual assault for having sex with an unconscious woman and recording it on his phone.
Jason Redmond, a constable with the Ontario Provincial Police in Leeds County, was found guilty of sexual assault in a Brockville courtroom last month for having sexual intercourse with a woman while she was unconscious.
A judge found Redmond also made a video of the assault on his phone to “prove” the victim had a drinking problem, and to “teach her a lesson” about how irresponsible she was when consuming alcohol.
“He made the video to show that anybody could rape her,” Ontario Court Justice Janet O’Brien read in her ruling last month, recalling the testimony of one Crown witness.
Redmond, who has been on paid leave from the provincial police service since 2015 after being involved in a local drug trafficking operation, was charged with sexual assault in 2021.
He pleaded not guilty. His trial took place over two days this past August at the Brockville courthouse, and the decision was handed down on Feb. 16 in a judge-alone trial.
The OPP did not inform the public of the charge.
While the trial took place last summer, the assault itself happened in December 2017.
On the day in question, the victim had been drinking alcohol, the court heard, while both she and Redmond did cocaine many times throughout the day, as well.
The judge found the victim, over the course of a long day of drinking and drug use, eventually lost consciousness “either because she went to sleep or as a result of the effects of alcohol, or a combination of these.”
The next day, Redmond told her about what he’d done – that he had sex with her while she was passed out, that he knew she wasn’t aware of it, and that he had recorded it on his phone.
He tried to show her the video to prove how intoxicated she had been, she testified in trial, but she was embarrassed that she couldn’t remember it, pushed his hand away, and went about her day as normal.
As time went on, the existence of the video eventually became known to many people in Redmond’s inner circle, including several people who took the stand.
Over the course of the two-day trial, the court heard from several Crown witnesses, all of whom testified Redmond told them he had sex with the victim while unconscious, and made a video to “teach her a lesson,” a court transcript reads.
Three witnesses testified to Redmond bragging and trying to show them the video, while a fourth testified to inadvertently finding the recording.
One of the witnesses, while testifying, said Redmond “was kind of laughing” when talking about the incident.
“He appeared to find what he had done funny and was making fun of (her),” one of the witnesses testified.
The OPP eventually became aware of the video’s existence, prompting a criminal investigation in 2021, which led to the sexual assault charge against the officer.
Redmond argued the victim’s inability to remember was not proof she did not consent. The judge found, however, that the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she “did not consent to the sexual touching either because she was unconscious or she was incapable of consenting.”
The video was not shown as evidence in the trial, but the judge found the Crown had done its job proving its existence.
“Based on the circumstantial evidence, I find the only reasonable inference is that Mr. Redmond recorded himself having sexual intercourse with (the victim) while she was unconscious or in a state of near unconsciousness,” the judge ruled.
This was further solidified when the victim testified she had no memory of the assault.
“(She) was unaware of any sexual touching. Mr. Redmond knew that (she) was unaware he had sexual intercourse with her.”
The victim’s identity and some of the circumstances surrounding the sexual assault are protected by a publication ban.
Redmond, who started working with the OPP in the mid-2000s, was involved in another high-profile case after being convicted of drug trafficking in 2015 stemming from his involvement with Project Arrowtown.
Project Arrowtown was a case where police “conducted an 18-month investigation into criminal activity by police officers in Leeds County,” where an undercover officer posed as a petty criminal to connect Redmond and other officers with illegal drug activity.
Redmond pleaded guilty to a pot-trafficking charge and was found guilty of forging documents in 2018, but was not given jail time for his crimes.
He has remained on paid leave from the force ever since. On Wednesday morning, an OPP spokesperson confirmed that despite his several convictions, Redmond is still employed.
“I can confirm that Jason Redmond’s employment with the OPP remains the same at this time. He is still on paid leave,” Acting Sergeant Erin Cranton said in an email.
His name was included on the 2021 public sector salary list, where the province annually publishes the names of all public sector employees who were paid $100,000 or more.
He made $121,047.96 that year, according to the province.
Redmond is due back in court Apr. 14 for sentencing.
