Mounty, who was fired after showing skimpy photos of himself to an assault victim exchanging sexual texts with her during an investigation, said , who had struggled to get a job, returned claiming he was denied a proper hearing.
The arbitrator pointed out flaws in the method of action against Const. Andrew Scott Hedderson played, reinstated him and gave him a refund, according to a decision recently made public and posted on the RCMP website.
The arbitrator also ordered his second hearing, but Hedderson resigned from the army.
The incident dates back to his March 2017 British police rush to a parking lot in Surrey, Columbia. Where a man assaulted his girlfriend — 'Ms. Her W' in the RCMP document.
"Mr. P' was released on bail on the condition that, according to these documents, he did not contact Mr. W. He violated the order immediately after his release.
Mr. W and Ms. Hedderson made the statement as part of the RCMP Action Commission's investigation of what happened next.
The RCMP Investigate cases, which are formal court-like processes in which arbitrators have legal powers to impose disciplinary actions, such as deductions or termination of employment.
Yuan According to the action committee's decision, Hedderson — , who called himself a "pretty attractive figure" in a statement to the action committee, became the lead investigator of the infringement files. The ruling was that Hedderson would visit her Ms. W. at her home and RCMP officials would try to get close to her to get a statement to indict Mr. P. for violating her terms. It states that it claimed that
Hedderson told the Action Committee that he felt that she was "flirting" with him, using it to provide a statement. Comfortable enough.
Hedderson, who had recently become single at the time of the incident, told the board, he didn't mind flirting because he was "going home to an empty apartment." The next day, "was completely pear-shaped," said the action committee decision.
According to the decision, Hedderson asked Mr. W. if he had any pictures of his injuries, and replied that he sent naked pictures of himself to him. said he showed it to
Mr. W told the Action Committee that he showed Hedderson a picture he had taken before taking a shower, but did not realize that his breasts were in the picture. Told.
In a statement to the board, Ms. W said she was embarrassed, and Hedderson told her not to worry, but he He now had to show something in return. Hedderson told the board that it was Mr. W who asked for the photo.
Showing a photo of "was my big mistake," says Mounty
Hedderson to the board after receiving a statement from W. , together plan to deal with Mr P 's attempts to contact her. When Mr. W made another comment about seeing her picture, he said he was leaving her Mrs. W's house.
"It's essentially a picture of a dick. You can see pretty much everything," he told code of conduct investigators.
"That was a big mistake on my part."
Ms. W, on the other hand, told the board to pressure her to see a picture of herself. He said it was Hedderson who called.
Hedderson told investigators that it was "pretty certain" that he initiated a series of texts of his message after meeting with Ms. W. .
Ms. W told the board Hedderson's message was about him being "hard" and the size of his "package" and checking her thoroughly. Or, "I want to investigate thoroughly, thoroughly," he said. check. "
During the conduct board process, Hedderson called the relationship consensual, albeit "horribly inappropriate and unprofessional."
An RCMP investigation found that Mr. W.'s phone calls had him texting her 323 times in her 11 days between the two. .
Mr. Hedderson told the board a few days after exchanging emails with Mr. : W, he began to panic and tried to shut down to avoid breaching his files. "In retrospect, I had already... messed it up," he added.
When Hedderson told the board that W had a date, she was "incredibly upset" and she called the police. Told me I sent her a text message that I can't trust her. He threatened her that he would drop his career.
Mr W confirmed these exchanges and told the board that he was "rude, called him a pig and said he was disgusting and unprofessional." She accused him of taking advantage of her when she was "vulnerable," and she referred to the fact that he could lose his job.
Hedderson told the Action Committee that he eventually blocked her number but he did not tell her.
Charges against Mr. P. dropped
Mr. W told the board that he kept in touch with Mr. Hedderson about Mr. P breaking the terms. . Meanwhile,
Hedderson told the board that he was concerned about W's safety. He told investigators that, in retrospect, he should have called 911 or a non-emergency number.
"Frankly, I think I should have called any of them...that's my job...and...I did it with that, yeah," he later told investigators. Told.
In May 2017 Mr P. was arrested on warrant. A Royal Attorney for Domestic Violence at the Surrey Royal Attorney's Office spoke with his Mr W and he said against Mr P because Mr P was four months pregnant and wanted him in her baby's life. asked for the charges to be dropped.
When Ms. W. attended her ex-boyfriend's court hearing, she told her barrister that Hedderson showed her sexually explicit photos and sent her sexual texts. A senior domestic violence adviser said W. Her Ms. also expressed fear of Hedderson and the police.
Because Hedderson failed to declare wrongdoing, the King dropped her offense charges against Mr P., according to the recorded decision of the Action Commission that investigated Hedderson's conduct.
However, in his email to CBC News on Tuesday, B. C. The Public Prosecutor's Office (BCPS) said the charges against P. were stayed "as part of a settlement agreement that included the defendants pleading guilty on separate related files."
This is the situation in which the Commission's investigation took place.
"The fact that [Hedderson]'s actions compelled his barrister to drop charges of violating the no-contact condition was only one example of the consequences of the conflict of interest he created, and it goes without saying that He has utterly destroyed his credibility and objectivity as an investigator, thus affecting the public interest," the Action Commission wrote in its original decision.
The Action Committee issued its decision on the merits of the complaint in April 2018.
This surprised the other parties to the lawsuit, who had expected an opportunity to respond. Ms. W. must testify and file a comprehensive submission of the allegations.
The Action Committee made its final decision in December 2018 recommending that Hedderson be removed from the military.
The Board wrote that keeping Hedderson in the force would "obviously undermine public trust and confidence."
Hedderson awarded retroactive compensation
Hedderson appeals, board fails to hold in-person hearing and prematurely makes decision on merits denied his right to procedural impartiality.
In a decision issued late last year and recently made public, Tribunal Stephen Dunn sided with Hedderson, stating that the Action Committee's "decision directly affected [Hedderson's] right to a hearing." infringement,” he said.
"By failing to notify the parties that it intends to make a decision on the merits without oral hearings or written submissions, and by not allowing the parties to test their credibility, the Board may In direct testimony and cross-examination, Mr. W. was accused of failing to provide appellant an opportunity to make a comprehensive presentation of allegations and evidence," Dunn wrote. ing.
The original decision was reversed and Dunn ordered a new hearing at another action committee.
Dunn also ruled that Hedderson should have received his salary and benefits dating back to December 2018.
Attempts to contact Hedderson have failed. His representative at the Action Committee hearing did not respond to the CBC's request for comment.
Corp. Alex Verbe, BC Spokesperson. The RCMP said Hedderson resigned from the military this month. There will be no second public hearing.
A union spokesperson for the RCMP declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy reasons.
Verve said all action appeals will be reviewed "with the aim of ensuring that the process is effective and consistent."
This case is just the latest to point out problems with the RCMP's course of action. The National Police have been accused for years of imposing inappropriate sanctions on the Mounties in cases of harassment and sexual assault.
The federal government has pledged to review the way the RCMP disciplines its members.
Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino's post-election mandate stated that "the RCMP's sanctions will be reviewed in order to determine the adequacy of existing sanctions and whether they have been applied appropriately and consistently." and to initiate an "external review of the disciplinary system."