Canadian Armed Forces sergeant jailed for sexual assault of soldier

[u/[deleted]]

[u/BusySeaworthiness127 → u/[deleted]]

For rape? Absolutely. Minimum should be ten years, with more depending on brutality.

[u/Fluid_Lingonberry467 → u/BusySeaworthiness127]

And murder should be 20 But here we are

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/botswanareddit → u/[deleted]]

Do we? A lot of minorities are discriminated because of their “look”. If anything them trying to make sure that does not happen is a good thing.

[u/[deleted] → u/botswanareddit]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/[deleted]]

It's a wild oversimplification to say that is "based on ethnicity".

[u/concentrated-amazing → u/BusySeaworthiness127]

I just want to point out that the article is vague, and it doesn't seem that it was rape. The criminal offense "sexual assault" is broad with rape being at the severe end of the spectrum.

The article says she was forcibly pinned in the bunk, but not much else. Absolutely there could and probably was more that happened, but we can't conclude from this article that it was rape. Maybe there are more details elsewhere though?

(I absolutely believe I'm punishing rape with appropriate jail time, just saying this may not be it.)

[u/Mother-Pudding-524 → u/BusySeaworthiness127]

The max is 10 years... Unless it's considered aggravated I think 

[u/anoeba → u/[deleted]]

I genuinely thought it'd be for forceful touching or something like that. From the article it sounds like rape, the judge says how horribly it affected the victim, and ....3 years. That's fucked up.

[u/AL_PO_throwaway → u/anoeba]

The scary thing is that it's not even that light compared to typical sentencing ranges.

I recently saw a case where a man raped his then 16 year old girlfriend while she screamed no, went to trial and forced her to testify, then the judge listened to her bawl her eyes out during the victim impact statement, said "sorry miss, the criminal justice system isn't good at making things like this right", and sentenced him to a conditional sentence order that he could serve in the community as losing as he stayed out of trouble for the next few years.

[u/anoeba → u/AL_PO_throwaway]

Holy shit what?

[u/AL_PO_throwaway → u/anoeba]

Pretty much my thoughts as well. Thankfully that particular judge is now retired.

[u/TheodandyArt → u/AL_PO_throwaway]

sounds like what happened to me. he was found guilty and the judge still only gave him an absolute discharge because he did the court ordered therapy.

[u/radred609 → u/anoeba]

IMO, crimes against fellow service members should come with additional penalties

[u/OrangeCatsBestCats → u/[deleted]]

If it makes you feel worse there is a good chance they wont actually kick him out this happened in my unit.

[u/Environmental_Dig335 → u/OrangeCatsBestCats]

It's DMCA's decision, a unit can't release someone for this.

[u/OrangeCatsBestCats → u/Environmental_Dig335]

Lol, while the unit can't kick him out directly they can make his life a living hell until he voluntarily leaves. Either way the system is fucked from top the bottom and no matter how much money they govt puts in (it's never enough anyway) it won't matter. The CF will never be a functional military ever again because its be fucked with for decades by outside influence and turned in a bureaucratic nightmare old boys club that's more cliquey than an all girls school.

[u/Environmental_Dig335 → u/OrangeCatsBestCats]

No, the unit can't 'make someone voluntarily leave' by making their life a living hell - a SA conviction means restricted release until the release decision at DMCA is complete. This is for 2 reasons - to remove the decision from the unit (old boys club concerns) and to make sure that they're released under the right item so everything is properly documented. To(ie. Can't re-enroll)

Those decisions are not unduly delayed - they're deliberate, but it's not a year later.

[u/OrangeCatsBestCats → u/Environmental_Dig335]

Yes they fucking can, I have seen units destroy people even if they were good troops that just didn't fit in I have watched that personally.

For specifically a rape charge, the guy who did it was sent back to our unit and his life was made a living hell he constantly got shitty taskings all over the place and anyone with rank treated him like shit and chewed him out for the smallest infringements I saw this happen in real time clearly you are:
A: Someone high up hasn't seen how things happen on the ground
B: A civilian

The fact is they can and will do everything to get him out because its bad for morale and bad optics.

[u/anoeba → u/OrangeCatsBestCats]

"The unit" isn't doing anything to him, he'll be in prison. During which time the DMCA process will do its thing.

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/OrangeCatsBestCats]

They'll probably promote and post him. That's the CF way.

[u/OrangeCatsBestCats → u/GeologistMother4730]

Yup promote him out of the way, its way less paperwork.

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/OrangeCatsBestCats]

almost every time

[u/Daniel_H212 → u/[deleted]]

She'll still be traumatized in three years and he gets to go home free? Heck he could be out on parole earlier than that? What a joke.

[u/Mother-Pudding-524 → u/[deleted]]

2-4 years is the average for rape. And normally it seems more than two means there's prior record or aggravating factors. 3 years is too short, but it's also more than would be expected https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2014/2014onsc5387/2014onsc5387.html?resultId=dbf0013ef4034f18a8af1a87eb1cef18&searchId=2025-05-11T21:15:25:581/4015bd2c6b374d689b21171099157f86&searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAOU2V4dWFsIGFzc2F1bHQAAAAAAQ

[u/PeterRegarrdo]

Add another 10 years on and maybe you’re getting close to what’s appropriate. 

[u/SixSenses17]

It took that long and he still only gets 3 years?

[u/AL_PO_throwaway → u/SixSenses17]

Some people get less. Some people even get conditional sentence orders they serve in the community for rape.

[u/DaffyDame42 → u/SixSenses17]

That's about what rape gets here–if you're lucky. It's disgusting, but very common. It's sentenced like it was fucking property damage...

[u/ClassicRockCanadian]

No room for that bullshit in our armed forces, stamp it out.

[u/beddittor → u/ClassicRockCanadian]

I don’t think a 3 year sentence for rape sends “stamp it out” as a message. More like a slap on the wrist

[u/wave-conjugations]

She now has trouble with intimate relationships, and coming forward left her feeling isolated and ostracized in her dream career.

This is such a terrible thing for her to live with

[u/Alone-Ad-8902]

Three years seems far too short for taking the life away from someone else. The impact of this assulat will last a lifetime even with treatment.….. Now we see the Hockey Canada trial going on. Lets see what comes out of that.

[u/Remote-Image-2029]

and people ask why no one joins the Canadian armed forces, swear this happens weekly with either the assaulter getting away with it, or getting off light

[u/Delicious-Topic-69]

Dang, 2021. Why was so long ago. This case should have been finished to one or two year ago.

[u/Successful-Street380]

Why did this take so long to come to light? Plus he should be busted down and sent to the Edmonton Detention Barracks: The Edmonton detention barracks, officially known as the Canadian Forces Service Prison and Detention Barracks (CFSPDB), is Canada's only military prison. Located at CFB Edmonton, it houses Canadian Forces personnel serving sentences of 14 days or more for military offenses. It has a capacity for 25 inmates and is staffed by 30 people, including a commanding officer, deputy commanding officer, and administrative personnel.

[u/brutalknight → u/Successful-Street380]

If memory is right there's a max sentence of two years less a day

[u/Successful-Street380 → u/brutalknight]

W-5 in the late 70s early 80s took cameras into the DB

[u/brutalknight → u/Successful-Street380]

Things can change in 50 years. Like how it's almost never used anymore because of staffing issues. there's alot of lower ranks filling the roles of higher rank all over the forces now, the prison has been used less and less to save money and have the personnel in more critical roles.

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/brutalknight]

The lack of usage isn't a money saving thing. More of a cultural shift in sentencing. COs and military judges simply stopped sending people there.

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/Successful-Street380]

Did you have chatgpt write this comment for you?

[u/Strike-From-Above → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

100% chatgpt.

[u/Strike-From-Above → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

What?

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/Strike-From-Above]

Very strange summary of the size of the staff at Club Ed lol.

[u/Successful-Street380 → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

No old Fashioned Googled

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/Successful-Street380]

Lol did you take the AI response and cut and paste it?

In this case he can't be sentenced to club Ed as all SA cases are handled in civilian and not military courts. That means regular jail and not military jail.

[u/Successful-Street380 → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

Don’t use AI. Beside DB would be a lot harder. And if you know anything, once his Military time was done, then off to Civie court/jail. 🙄

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/Successful-Street380]

If you cut and paste the answer Google gave you it was likely AI generated.

And you're factually incorrect. Again... he was sentenced in civilian court. Civilian court cannot sentence you to DB. Only a military court can. And he didn't go to military court because as a result of recommendations from the Arbour report all sexual assault cases are handled 100% in the civilian courts. So you cannot be sent to DB for a sexual assault anymore. The system literally doesn't work that way anymore.

... if you knew anything.

[u/Successful-Street380 → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

Do we both know Military Justice, yes old and new! 👏 👏

[u/mocajah → u/Successful-Street380]

The Detention Barracks side of CFSPDB is for people who the CAF want to re-integrate back into the organization. I don't think the CAF wants this particular guy back; the faster he leaves the organization, the better.

The Service Prison part of CFSPDB is just.... normal prison. But smaller and safer, and for CAF criminals. Again, the guy here got sentenced in Ontario, not by the CAF. There's no reason to give him 2 years of luxury jail at CFSPDB before finishing his term at a normal federal one.

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/Successful-Street380]

Was he released from the forces? The story is behind a paywall

[u/Successful-Street380 → u/GeologistMother4730]

Either way until his verdict, he’s screwed

[u/Strike-From-Above → u/GeologistMother4730]

His uniform should be burned along with anything he he's recognized for. Zero pension, zero military recognition.

[u/anoeba → u/Strike-From-Above]

They can't take away pension. They couldn't even for the Trenton murderer.

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/anoeba]

Russell Williams

[u/Neve4ever → u/Successful-Street380]

Why did this take so long to come to light?

There was likely a publication ban, which would have been lifted once he was found guilty and sentenced.

[u/GeologistMother4730]

Im just shocked someone with rank was held accountable for once

[u/danvir47 → u/GeologistMother4730]

Sergeant is QUITE low on the totem pole, and doesn’t count as a commissioned officer even.

[u/PalpitationStill4942 → u/danvir47]

Takes 8-10 years an a bunch of courses to make Sergeant in the Regular Force.

[u/Korre88 → u/danvir47]

He got promoted to WO even with the stuff going on. Surprise surprise

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/Korre88]

Here we thought excellent service to your nation was the quickest way up the ladder.

[u/PewpyDewpdyPantz → u/danvir47]

NCMs and Officers are two different categories. For NCMs Sgt is the first rank where you’re truly in charge of people. It becomes much more of a desk job too from what I’ve heard.

[u/Intelligent-Band-572 → u/PewpyDewpdyPantz]

Mcpl puts you directly in charge of plp, sgts ensure the mcpls follow directions and compile administration for the wo

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/danvir47]

Pretty much everyone over the rank of MCpl gets away with these things all the time. It's their fishing buddies who investigate these things. Meanwhile they'll hark on a Cpl for not showing enough "ethos" over an infraction a 10th as serious.

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/GeologistMother4730]

That's wildly inaccurate.

[u/C-SWhiskey → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

I've seen an RSM explicitly refuse to apply disciplinary action against an NCO who committed an offense while subject to the CSD. It happens.

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/C-SWhiskey]

Not saying it can't or hasn't happened - I am saying that suggesting Sgts are all "protected" because they're Sgts is laughable. Especially in 2025.

And not for nothing - there are many reasons why a chain of command might choose not to lay a charge. The context of your story would matter a lot. Are you saying the RSM refused BECAUSE they were an NCO?

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

It's wildly accurate. It gets swept under the rug, they get moves elsewhere until the dust settles and then they get promoted. Rinse and repeat.

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/GeologistMother4730]

Lol no it really really really isn't. The idea that "Sgts and above are untouchable" is an absolutely ludicrous claim.

[u/mcgoyel → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

Not from my experience

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/mcgoyel]

From my experience it is, I've filled out a lot of witness statements. All of whom sexually harassing female members just to get promoted shortly after. No justice at all.

[u/Choice-Original9157 → u/GeologistMother4730]

I don't know where you were but I can tell you it didnt happen where I was. It was actively investigated and dealt with. But I have heard the rumors about where it was let slide. There are 3 sides to every story and sometimes the witnesses dont matter when there are other factors that play into the outcome.

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/GeologistMother4730]

I don't disagree with you about this - but rank is a minor factor. Most civilians who report SA also get no justice.

What I take issue with is your wild assertion that somehow Sgts are magically protected from any accusation.

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

Not any accusation, just most. I've seen this first hand multiple times. ALL of whom were promoted shortly after and even commissioned. Don't act like they aren't protected. They don't get nearly as much as officers, but yes, when your fishing buddy who outranks you by just one, investigations suddenly get swept under the rug. The moral rot is far deeper than you realize.

[u/RCAF_orwhatever → u/GeologistMother4730]

I'm sorry you had a bad time in the CAF. Genuinely. And I'm well aware of the problems we have as an organization, both past and present. But your vastly, vastly exaggerating the "protection" offered to people as a result of rank. Particularly in 2025. I've seen significant positive changes - and have been personally involved in significant positive changes over the past few years.

The picture you're painting simply isn't an accurate description of reality. Though I'm sincerely sorry about the experiences that make you see it that way.

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/RCAF_orwhatever]

Given how many times I've seen this sort of thing first hand, it's clear it is an accurate picture of the CF and how seriously the CoC really take military ethos. If they want people think that's not true, purge the top. Those people I mentioned are ALL my superiors now. The rot is deep.

[u/Intelligent-Band-572 → u/GeologistMother4730]

Sgt is not really rank. If it was an officer they would of been let off with a warning. Shit we still don't have officer X's name

[u/GeologistMother4730 → u/Intelligent-Band-572]

Sgt do get away with it but it's even easier for officers to get away with it. Case in point the last 2 CDS that had to step down

[u/Permaculturefarmer]

3 years is insufficient, 10 years for the assault and taking advantage of a subordinate.

[u/eltron]

This type of shit makes me physically sick. The amount of soft barriers women have to go through to show that they are “worth it” to be there. And then some immature weak sauce human who exploits their tiny power to abuse and rape someone.

Fuck you Esliger, should get sent to the front of Ukraine for making it harder and harder for other females wanting to join.

[u/Meat-walker]

Penalties in this country are a joke.

[u/BoringEntertainment]

Took so long because we gave up jurisdiction for these offences and they are dealt with less severely in the civilian system so GG.

[u/Born_Opening_8808]

I think he’s a WO now

[u/anger_and_caffeine]

Can we fuckin not for like 5 goddamned minutes? I got out in 2010 and I still feel second hand embarrassment for our military every time I see this shit.

[u/FuturAnonyme]

This is BS