'Really gives me hope': Advocate says RNC officer's sexual assault sentence a step in the right direction
CBC
Community advocate Heather Elliott has been closely following the case of Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer Doug Snelgrove in support of Jane Doe through three trials in seven years.
On Friday, Snelgrove was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual assault, and Ellott says she is happy with the verdict.
"Four years is better than I was expecting, to be honest," Elliott told CBC News Friday.
Snelgrove's name will also be listed in the national sex offender registry for the next 20 years.
While handing down the sentence, Justice Vikas Khaladkar addressed the importance of deterring people in power from acting in abusive ways.
"To see Khaladkar … acknowledge the impact that this has had on Jane really gives me hope," Elliott said.
"There isn't a lot of conversation had about the impact that not only the initial assault had on the victim, but the impact of going through the process and in Jane's case, three whole trials. To hear Khaladkar really not only acknowledge that, but to say that he took that into consideration while coming down with this sentence, it shows me that we are, albeit slowly, moving in the right direction."
In 2014, Snelgrove drove Jane Doe — the name used to protect the victim's identity — home from a club in his patrol car and then sexually assaulted her in her apartment.
Snelgrove was first arrested in 2015.
At the first trial in 2017, he was acquitted of sexual assault. The verdict was later overturned due to a mistake the judge had made in defining consent for the jury. The second trial in 2020 was declared a mistrial due to an error the judge had made while dismissing jurors.
Snelgrove was found guilty in May and has been in custody since a sentencing hearing in September.
Elliott said she and other activists were expecting a sentence of two and a half to three years.
The Crown had been asking for five years, the defence for 18 to 24 months.
Snelgrove now has 30 days to appeal the verdict. Elliott said she will continue working toward a change in how sexual assault cases are handled in the province.
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