OPP officer sentenced to 6 years for sexually assaulting, filming unconscious woman | CBC News

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

An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer has been sentenced to six years for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman while recording it on his mobile phone.

Jason Redmond wore a dark suit and a blue medical mask as he stood in a Brockville courtroom Friday morning to hear his sentence read. He did not speak as he was taken into custody.

The victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, stood and tearfully hugged people in the gallery as he was escorted out.

Justice Janet O’Brien found Redmond’s moral culpability was “extraordinarily high,” saying the evidence she heard indicated he felt no shame or regret and wasn’t apologetic the morning after the incident, but was instead “angry and righteous.”

She noted he kept the video, told friends about it and, based on the testimony of a witness, appeared to think it was funny.

The judge said as a police officer, Redmond knows the law and would have known the victim could not consent.

“During his training and experience as a police officer, Mr. Redmond understood the harm and trauma victims of violent crime suffer,” O’Brien said. “Mr. Redmond was at best indifferent to the harm he caused … his intimate partner.” 

Redmond ‘proving a point’

The Leeds County officer was convicted of sexual assault on Feb. 16, roughly five years after the incident in December 2017.

According to one witness, Redmond was “proving a point” to the victim that she had a drinking problem, and “he made the video to show that anybody could rape her,” the judge read in her ruling.

Crown attorney Peter Napier suggested last month Redmond be sentenced to five to seven years in custody, describing what happened as a “horrendous sexual assault” that called for an “exemplary sentence.”

The Crown also pointed to the fact that Redmond remains a police officer, saying he should have know the harm he was causing and “the fact he tried to show everyone what he had done was just deplorable.”

Defence lawyer Karin Stein argued for two or three years behind bars, the bottom end of the typical range for sentencing.

She told court Redmond has received death threats and is dealing with trauma and an addiction to crack cocaine. Stein also said her client does not plan to return to his role as a police officer.

During sentencing, the judge ruled the assault was not the result of impulsivity or impaired judgment due to the accused’s background or ongoing struggles, saying he continued to blame the victim and justify his actions.

“This illustrates his contempt for [the victim] and callous disregard for her sexual autonomy and psychological well being,” she said. “This confirms the sexual assault was not a lapse in judgment or out of character for Mr. Redmond … the sexual assault was a calculated, deliberate act.”

O’Brien referred to a victim impact statement where the complainant described how the event felt “so heavy and so shameful,” leading him to become guarded, lonely and feeling unsafe.

The judge considered it an aggravating factor that Redmond had violated the victim’s trust and assaulted her while she was unconscious and had “no ability to defend herself.”

The circumstances of the case called for a “heavy sentence” above the normal range, O’Brien said.

“Mr. Redmond’s conduct must be denounced in the clearest of terms.”

He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim or her family, must provide a DNA sample and must comply with the sexual offender registry for 10 years.

Officer also found guilty of assault

Redmond was convicted last Friday of nine other violent offences in connection with a separate court matter.

O’Brien found him guilty of five counts of assault, three counts of assault causing bodily harm and one count of assault with a weapon.

That victim’s identity is also protected by a publication ban. She is not the same person as the complainant in Redmond’s conviction for sexual assault.

His legal history also includes a conviction for drug trafficking, for which he received one year of probation and no jail time.

He’s been on paid leave from the OPP since being charged in that case in 2015.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique previously said the force has been seeking to dismiss Redmond since his first conviction.

“This behaviour is unacceptable for any police officer and cannot be tolerated,” Carrique wrote at the time.

Appeal of dismissal from OPP withdrawn

The commissioner said the OPP’s Professional Standards Unit had laid charges under the Police Services Act shortly after Redmond’s initial conviction and an adjudicator ordered he be dismissed from the OPP following his conviction.

However, the officer appealed that decision, which allowed him to continue to collect his salary for the last seven and a half years while being suspended on paid leave.

Redmond’s name was included on the 2021 Ontario Sunshine List, which listed his income as $121,047.96 that year.

An appeal before the Ontario Civilian Police Commission was scheduled to take place in October, but in an email to CBC earlier this week, a spokesperson for the commission said it’s since been withdrawn and the matter is closed.

Stein and her client declined to comment on the move.

A spokesperson for OPP confirmed it’s aware Redmond has withdrawn his appeal, but did not respond to questions about the status of his employment or pay, only adding “additional comment” from the force will be forthcoming.