Sexual assault trial set to begin for military’s former head of HR – National | 24CA News
A sexual assault trial for the army’s former head of human sources is anticipated to listen to from its first witness in an Ottawa court docket on Monday.
Vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson has pleaded not responsible to 1 rely of indecent acts and one rely of sexual assault in an incident that allegedly occurred in 1991.
He stepped down as head of army personnel command in March 2021 after CBC reported {that a} former Armed Forces member had accused him of rape.
The complainant is anticipated to testify within the case, which was delayed final week.
Edmundson was considered one of a number of high-profile army members to be accused of sexual misconduct in early 2021, kicking off a disaster that led to an exterior investigation of the Armed Forces.
The case is being heard within the Ontario Court of Justice, which is consistent with the federal government’s coverage to have civilian authorities take over such instances.
That change was advisable by former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour, who wrote a report calling for sweeping adjustments to the army’s tradition together with eradicating the army’s jurisdiction over sexual assault instances and different associated crimes.
The defence minister directed the army to comply with that advice again in November 2021, however there have been points in getting police forces and provinces to conform to deal with the additional instances.
In May, the army stated it had referred 93 instances of prison sexual offences to civilian police since December 2021, and 64 of these instances have been below investigation. Another 97 instances weren’t transferred.
Former defence minister Anita Anand stated a federal-provincial-territorial committee was arrange within the spring to facilitate discussions about referrals, and offers have been in place with a variety of police forces together with the RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police.
Some instances – together with a few of the high-profile allegations that led to the Arbour report – are being dealt with by the army for quite a lot of causes.
That features a case involving Edmundson’s successor as head of the Military Personnel Command, Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan.
After his appointment to the job, Whelan got here below investigation for sexual misconduct. Military police charged him in July 2022 with two counts of conduct to the bias of fine order and self-discipline, associated to what they referred to as an “inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.”
In a press launch on the time, the Defence Department stated the investigation didn’t discover proof to help Criminal Code costs within the case, so it was not handed alongside to civilian police.
Whelan is about to face a court docket martial on Aug. 24.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
