The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary sexual abuse scandal occurred in 2014 and concerned allegations of assault by Constable Doug Snelgrove.
Origins
On December 21, 2014, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) Officer, Constable Doug Snelgrove, a ten-year veteran of the RNC, had given a Newfoundland and Labrador woman a ride home, while on duty and in his marked police cruiser. The woman later alleged that Snelgrove had sexually assaulted her in her residence.
In April 2015, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were called in to investigative, and Snelgrove was charged in July 2015, with one count of sexual assault stemming from the complaint, setting the stage for three sexual assault trials, in St. John's, NL.
Trial #1 In February 2017, the sexual assault trial of RNC Constable Doug Snelgrove began in the Supreme Court of NL, with the Crown focusing its case on the issue of consent, claiming that the victim of the sexual assault was inebriated at the time of the assault and could not consent to sex. The court heard that a GPS tracker on the police cruiser being driven by Snelgrove on December 21, 2014, placed him at the victim's residence and a DNA sample found on the woman's loveseat was a match to Snelgrove.
The victim, known only as 'Jane Doe, testified that she had been at a nightclub in Downtown St. John's, when she asked a police officer for a ride home. She testified that once they reached her residence, she could not find her keys, and Snelgrove helped her in through a window, and she opened the door to the residence and allowed him inside. She testified that the next thing she could remember was having no clothes on while the police officer was having sex with her. She testified, she remembered kissing Snelgrove, but could not remember consenting to sexual intercourse, testifying that she did not want to have sex and was only interested in getting home and getting to sleep. The crown called four witnesses' who testified that the woman had been drinking in the hours leading up to the assault.
Snelgrove testified that the woman was not at all drunk and had consented to and initiated the sex. Snelgrove testified that after he had helped the woman get inside her apartment, she had kissed him, took off her clothes and began giving him oral sex. Snelgrove testified that he asked the woman what she liked, and she responded to him by saying, "Everything." Snelgrove then proceeded to have vaginal and anal sex with the woman.
While the crown focused on the issue of consent, Snelgrove's defense disagreed and argued that he was an 'idiot, who made a bad decision,''' but he was not a criminal. His defense further focused on the testimony of a toxicology expert, who testified that the woman had an alcohol induced black out, which caused her inability to not remember particular details of the incident.
On February 23, 2017, the jury hearing the case against Snelgrove, went into deliberations, with instructions from the judge emphasizing that Snelgrove could only be found guilty if the crown had proved that he had used force that was sexual in nature and without her consent. After a day and a half of deliberations the jury returned a unanimous verdict of "Not Guilty," in the sexual assault trial of Constable Doug Snelgrove.
Aftermath Immediately following the trial a protest broke out on the steps of NL's Supreme Court, challenging the verdict, with supporters of the victim holding signs that read, 'I believe her,' and 'Too drunk to consent.' The Chief of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary insisted that Snelgrove would remain suspended from the force until any appeals were dealt with and the issue made its way through the RNC's Public Complaints Commission.RNC's Public Complaints Commission On the day following the verdict, downtown St. John's was littered with graffiti revealing public outrage over the decision, with slogans spray painted on public property that read, 'Believe victims,' and 'St. John's cops support rape. Other messages targeted the police in general, and threatened the life of Constable Snelgrove. Eggs were thrown at the windows of the NL Supreme Court building in Downtown St. John's. On the Monday following the verdict, a large crowd of protesters gathered at RNC headquarters holding various signs and chanting derogatory slogans directed at Snelgrove and the NL police in general. Newfoundland and Labrador's then Justice Minister, Andrew Parsons, made headlines when he sent out a tweet following the verdict, which was quickly criticized by the local legal community. Following the protest, Parson's appeared to criticize the RNC, calling for a show of leadership from the force. Meanwhile, the RNC as a whole were facing mounting public criticism for a series of incidents that had kept the force in NL's news headlines. During the timeframe of the Snelgrove verdict, the force was already involved in a public inquiry over the shooting death of Newfoundland man by the RNC, outside of RNC jurisdiction. An RNC constable was on trial for making lewd telephone calls to a female and attempting to blame a member of the public for his actions, and another constable was being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police for his handling of that case. There were also five senior RNC members being investigated for their handling of a confidential source.
On March 8, 2017, NL's Crown prosecutor announced that the province was appealing the Snelgrove Verdict citing errors in the presiding judge's instruction's to the jury, stating that the jury should have been instructed that there could be no consent in which "the accused induces the complainant to engage in the [sexual] activity by abusing a position of trust, power or authority."
Trial #2 In September 2020, Constable Snelgrove was back in a NL courtroom, however, this trial was moved from the Supreme Court Building in downtown St. John's, to the former School for the Deaf on Topsail Road in St. John's west, to allow for physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic that had swept the globe. For the second time since the alleged assault took place, Jane Doe, testified to the court that she could not recall if she did or didn't consent to sex. She testified that she remembered waking up with Snelgrove penetrating her anus. Doe, stated that she did not want to have sex with Snelgrove, but admitted to kissing him. She testified that she did not call the police after the assault, because she feared nobody would believe a drunk girl over a police officer. Snelgrove testified that all sexual acts between him and the complainant were consensual and initiated by the complainant. He stated that he didn't believe she was drunk, and only had a faint smell of alcohol on her breath. Snelgrove again testified that the woman had initiated sex by removing all her clothing, and performing oral sex on him. Again, witnesses were called to corroborate the woman's claim that she was intoxicated at the time Snelgrove had driven her home. On September 24, 2020, the jury was sequestered and began deliberations. On the following day, the presiding judge declared a mistrial in the Snelgrove sexual assault case, citing that two jurors were wrongfully dismissed, after hearing all the evidence. Jurors 13, and 14, were dismissed without being given a chance to deliberate. The judge noted that he erred in not using a lottery system to choose the 12 jurors who would ultimately deliberate, and instead, dismissed two alternate jurors improperly. The crown argued that it was just a technicality and the jury should have proceeded with deliberations, however the judge noted that the error could not be fixed as the jury was not properly constituted.
Aftermath Following the sudden announcement of a mistrial, woman's rights advocates openly criticized the justice system in general, and stated that the Snelgrove trial was a good example of why so many women do not report sexual assault to authorities. Advocates stated that women and victims of sexual assault are traumatized repeatedly for reporting abuse, first by the assault itself and then by the justice system, by having to relive the ordeal over and over again. The mistrial sparked another protest on the steps on the Supreme Court Building in downtown St. John's, and the crown prosecutor expressed concerns that Jane Doe, may not want to participate in a third jury trial.
Trial #3
In May 2021, RNC Constable Doug Snelgrove stood trial for one count of sexual assault for the third time in a NL courtroom, setting off a wave of criticism from various women's groups, and supporters of the complainant. Snelgrove testified for the third time that he did not believe the complainant was intoxicated, and repeated that all sexual acts were initiated by Jane Doe and consensual. Jane Doe meanwhile repeated her previous testimony, that she did not want to have sex with Snelgrove on the night in question, and does not remember consenting to sex. A jury was again sequestered, and on May 15, 2021, found Constable Snelgrove guilty of sexually assaulting the complainant.
Sentencing
On November 12, 2021, six years following a NL woman's allegation that she was raped by an on-duty Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer, Doug Snelgrove was sentenced to four years in prison. In sentencing a NL judge told the courtroom that he hoped the sentencing sends a message to people in position's of authority. Snelgrove was placed in the custody of His Majesty's Penitentiary, while various women's groups and advocates celebrated the decision. However, Snelgrove would be released from custody just weeks later, as he sought a fourth trial following an appeal of his sentence. Snelgrove was returned to prison in April 2023, after the NL Court of appeal upheld his conviction. In July 2023, Snelgrove was released from prison to await a decision on an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Aftermath
During the third trial of RNC Constable Doug Snelgrove, several NL women came forward telling their personal stories of sexual assault and their fear of coming forward, citing the power dynamic between them and their abusers. Following the Snelgrove verdict, several NL women came forward to a well-known NL, attorney, Lynn Moore, (Morris Martin Moore) who specialized in sexual assaults, alleging that they too, had been victims of sexual assaults by RNC officers. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) cited sources with inside knowledge of the force, who described widespread sexual misconduct within the force from officers who habitually targeted civilians in St. John's. In response to the allegations NL's Justice Minister, John Hogan, announced a workplace review of the culture and governance of the RNC, but insisted the review was not in relation to officer misconduct, but rather an overall review of the workplace to look for ways to improve the force including looking at gaps in mental health services for officers. In July 2021, NL's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) revealed that it was investigating four NL police officer's for sexual offences. In May 2023, attorney Lynn Moore publicly stated that 7 RNC officers had been accused of sexual assault by nine NL women, including three women who alleged that they were propositioned for sex in patrol cars. In May 2022, a female RNC officer filed a civil against the Province of NL. alleging that she had been raped by a fellow police officer after being driven home. In July 2022, a civilian led group concerned for the safety of NL women submitted a report that condemned the lack of oversight of police in NL, noting there was clearly a problem of trust and confidence in the NL police.