A former senior official in the Canadian military, Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson, was acquitted Monday in a sexual assault case dating back over three decades.
Edmundson, who once served as head of military personnel, faced allegations in 2021 of sexually assaulting and committing an indecent act on a lower-ranking member of the Navy during a 1991 deployment.
The case began in February. During the trial, the complainant, Stephanie Viau, testified that she was 19 at the time of the incident and held the lowest rank in the Navy, while Edmundson was her superior.
According to Viau, the assault occurred during her duties, which included waking officers for overnight shifts. Edmundson, who pleaded not guilty, testified that he had no sexual contact with Viau.
Judge Matthew Webber, who presided over the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, citing inconsistencies in Viau’s recollection of events after more than 30 years and a lack of corroborative evidence.
“There are just too many problems, and I’m not in the business of…declaring what happened,” Webber said. “That’s not my job. My job is to just decide whether or not guilt has been proven to the requisite standard, and it hasn’t.”
Following the ruling on Monday, Edmundson’s defense lawyer, Brian Greenspan, hailed the decision as a “clear, decisive vindication” of Edmundson’s innocence.
Meanwhile, according to the Ottawa Citizen, Viau had earlier stated she did not want the Canadian Forces police or justice system involved in the investigation because she didn’t trust the military to properly investigate and prosecute her case. However, the military declined a request to have the Royal Canadian Mounted Police involved in the case.
Viau was visibly emotional outside the courthouse as she spoke to the press following Monday’s ruling.
Newsweek reached out to the Ontario Court of Justice via email for comment
Former Canadian Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson, center, speaks outside the courthouse in Ottawa on September 16. Edmundson was acquitted Monday in a sexual assault case dating back over three decades.
Justin Tang/The Canadian Press/AP
During the trial, the court heard conflicting testimony regarding how frequently Viau woke Edmundson during the deployment. Viau estimated that she woke Edmundson every second or third night and said his behavior worsened over time.
Viau testified that Edmundson started sleeping naked and that one night, she found him completely exposed on top of the sheets. Viau said she “went berserk,” yelling at him and turning on the lights to wake the other officer sleeping in the top bunk.
That incident was the basis for the indecent act charge.
Viau alleged that the sexual assault happened a couple of days after that incident.
Edmundson was one of several high-ranking Canadian military officials implicated in sexual misconduct accusations in 2021, leading to his resignation. He officially retired from the Armed Forces in 2022 following the charges, which were filed in December 2021.
Monday’s ruling comes as some senior leaders continue to face allegations of sexual misconduct and are under military police investigation. According to CBC News, two people have been charged criminally in connection to the claims.
In several other cases, military leaders have been placed on leave over their own handling of sexual misconduct files that triggered public backlash and division in the ranks.
The investigations came to light publicly only after journalists started asking questions of the Department of National Defence, CBC News reported.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
