A former Kelowna, B.C., RCMP officer, who admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to a victim of domestic assault, has been granted a conditional discharge and placed on probation for 12 months.
Sean Eckland, who served with the national police force from 2006 to 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to obstruct justice, after the messages were used by the victim’s assailant to benefit his case.
Eckland, 50, was the lead investigator on a domestic assault case in 2018 when he began exchanging sexually explicit messages with the victim over several months and sent her a photo of his penis, according to an agreed statement of facts included in his sentencing decision.
As always, ACAB.
Judge’s decision here.
Apparently one of the reasons for the sentence was that he was suffering from PTSD at the time, and other officers in similar cases were given the same sentence. So guys, if you want to send people who you are in a position of power over dick pics, just make sure to say it was because of PTSD because I’m sure that judgement would totally be the same for civilians right? .
In all seriousness I read a lot of judicial decisions in Canada and I find most of them measured and according to the law. I think the law needs to reflect harsher punishments for some crimes, like sexual assault/child molestation/rape/CSAM possession, etc. It’s honestly shocking to read some of the crimes against children, and their perpetrators are never named so as to protect the child’s privacy, but one guy was raping his 14 year old stepdaughter with a condom on every time for years, and because of the law could only get 8 years. The judge’s hands are tied in this regard.
But somehow cops always get off.