Former Canadian navy officer found guilty of sexual assault aboard historic navy tall ship
A retired Canadian navy officer has been found guilty of assault, sexual assault and uttering threats against a young female cadet aboard a navy sailboat more than a decade and a half ago.
The charges against former petty officer first class James R. Levesque stemmed from a 2006 sailing of HMCS Oriole, a historic training vessel that serves double-duty as a showpiece of the navy on its summer voyages along Canada's coastlines.
The victim, who cannot be identified under a court-imposed publication ban, testified at a court martial hearing in Victoria that Levesque, a senior non-commissioned officer, repeatedly groped her and physically assaulted her, once leaving bruises on her arms, during the ship's journey that summer from southern Vancouver Island to Alaska.
He later threatened to have sex with her and leave further bruising on her body, despite her protests, the court heard.
The incidents left the cadet with a lingering fear of sailing and an inability to sleep aboard vessels, a significant hindrance to her future career in the navy, she said.
Levesque denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to all three charges.
'TERRORIZING' TWO MONTHS
There were no eyewitnesses to the assaults or threats, the court heard, while the defence provided testimony from fellow sailors who said the incidents were never relayed up the ship's chain of command.
The prosecution did provide testimony from another woman who was among the vessel's 24-person crew that summer. She testified that the victim confided in her about the assaults and threats, saying the two of them would later coordinate their excursions ashore during port visits so the victim would not be alone, fearing for her safety.
The witness also testified that some of the male sailors refused to accompany the victim ashore because they would "get dirty looks" from passersby due to the significant bruising on her arms.
The victim testified that the assaults made her feel "scared and really worthless," and said that a senior officer discouraged her from reporting the incidents to police.
The court was shown more than 100 photos taken aboard the ship between June 1 and July 31, 2006. The photos depicted a party atmosphere on the 31-metre ship that summer, with shirtless male sailors drinking tequila and, in another photo, exposing their bare buttocks during a beach visit.
But the prosecution described a "terrorizing" two months for the victim aboard the Oriole, the oldest vessel in the Royal Canadian Navy, now based out of Halifax.
"I was so excited when I first got to the ship," the victim told the court, adding that she "wasn't the same again" when the ship arrived back in Esquimalt.
The guilty verdict landed on the eve of a highly anticipated report into sex offences in the Canadian Armed Forces, in which a retired Supreme Court justice urged the military to hand over the prosecution of sex crimes in its ranks to the civilian court system.
Levesque will be sentenced during a hearing scheduled to begin on July 9.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.