A former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer in British Columbia has been dismissed from the force following a conduct board decision that deemed his sexual relations with a vulnerable woman as “egregious” and utterly damaging to the victim and her family. The officer, Constable Connor McDonald, was found to have acted with reprehensible behavior that the RCMP conduct board adjudicator Christine Sakiris declared was incompatible with a Mountie’s duties and the position of trust they hold within the community.
Const. McDonald’s actions took place in August 2021, after he met the woman, identified only as NS under a publication ban, while she was apprehended under the Mental Health Act and taken to a hospital after an alcohol-induced unconscious state. During the course of his duties, McDonald stayed with NS for several hours, where they engaged in personal conversations and flirtatious behavior. Following her discharge, he took her to a mall, gave her his personal phone number, sent a friend request on Facebook, and eventually visited her at home, culminating in a sexual encounter.
The woman’s identity and the detachment where McDonald served remain undisclosed. His behavior became the subject of an internal RCMP investigation after the woman, a chronic alcoholic who had recently lost custody of her children, was found dead a little over a year after their encounter.
The conduct board decision, delivered by Sakiris, underscored the gravity of the breach of trust, especially given the woman’s vulnerable state. According to the agreed statement of facts, McDonald had been aware of the woman’s condition, as evidenced by his CPIC database search that identified her as an “emotionally disturbed person.” Yet, he pursued personal contact with her, which included two calls made from his off-duty hours and deleting records of the communication from his phone.
The impact of McDonald’s actions on the victim was profound. Although she did not provide a victim impact statement before her death, her sister attested to the life of repeated traumas NS had faced and her trust in police officers — a trust grievously violated by McDonald’s actions. The sister conveyed how the incident caused further trauma, exacerbating NS’s severe anxiety and feelings of reliving past sexual assault experiences.
Despite the mitigation presented by McDonald, including counseling sessions and positive performance assessments from his supervising sergeant, the conduct board found that the breach of trust and misconduct warranted dismissal. Sakiris stated, “Public confidence in the force would be undermined by Const. McDonald’s continued employment… The public cannot be asked to bear the risk of this behavior repeating itself.”
This case has brought to light the significant repercussions when an officer abuses their position of authority, particularly over a person in distress. The conduct board’s decision reflects an understanding that the integrity of the RCMP and the safety and trust of the public it serves cannot tolerate such profound breaches of duty and ethical conduct. The board’s dismissal of McDonald underscores the severity with which it views such misconduct and its commitment to uphold the standards expected of those in uniform.
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– Mountie who had sex with ‘vulnerable’ woman fired in B.C.
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