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Printed Jan 31, 2025 • Final up to date Jan 31, 2025 • 5 minute learn
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Stephen David Williams, a former London police officer who now goes by the identify Will Stephens
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Although he’d dodged convictions on 11 of 12 charges, former London police officer Will Stephens appeared depressing from his vantage level within the courtroom.
That could be as a result of the 47-year-old former cop, who modified his identify from Stephen Williams, was within the prisoner’s field throughout Ontario Courtroom Justice George Orsini’s determination, after he was taken into custody this week on a cost of breaching his launch order final month.
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When he’s again in video courtroom on Friday to set a sentencing date on one sexual assault conviction, he additionally shall be making use of for bail.
However that wasn’t the purpose of Thursday’s listening to, by which Orsini acquitted Stephens of the majority of the fees he confronted at his trial final fall. The fees, courting from 2023, contain three girls whose identities are protected by courtroom order, and laid naked Stephens’ messy private life by which he usually was courting a number of girls on the similar time.
When the trial began, two charges involving one complainant have been withdrawn and a felony harassment cost involving the identical complainant was dropped after her examination-in-chief by the Crown.
That also left 9 charges. In the long run, Orsini convicted Stephens of 1 depend of sexual assault, however acquitted him of different sexual assault charges, together with uttering loss of life threats, choking, forcible confinement and distributing an intimate picture.
This wasn’t the primary time Stephens has been in scorching water over his {sex} life. He was suspended from the police service after he was charged with sexual assault and harassment involving an ex-girlfriend whereas he was off-duty. He left the police service in October 2021 after strolling out of an expert misconduct listening to.
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He obtained a conditional discharge and 12 months of probation in 2019 after he pleaded responsible to creating a harassing telephone name and two counts of breaching his launch circumstances.
Orsini’s determination to convict Stephens of sexual assault stemmed from an encounter in June 2022 with a girl who got here ahead after Stephens’ preliminary charges have been publicized.
The girl met Stephens on-line. Throughout their three telephone conversations the identical day they met, “he told her he was a motivational speaker with 3M,” Orsini mentioned. The girl instructed Stephens she was not too long ago separated and hadn’t been on a date since 2005.
Stephens promised “to show her the ropes” they usually have been going to fulfill the following week on his boat, however then instructed possibly have “a quick coffee meet-and-greet” that evening. He requested if he may kiss her after they met.
They met at a parking zone and received into his black Tesla as a result of she mentioned she had by no means been inside one earlier than. Kissing initiated by Stephens led to undesirable groping of her breasts and makes an attempt to place his arms in her pants.
Orsini famous the lady testified she was ashamed and “felt disgusted that she had put herself in a situation where she had let a stranger fondle, grasp and violate her body.”
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After she received again within the passenger seat, she mentioned Stephens undid his pants and indicated he needed her to carry out a {sex} act. She mentioned she needed to go away the automobile and he agreed, however she couldn’t discover the door deal with. She requested a number of instances the place it was and he finally opened it for her.
Orsini convicted him of sexual assault as a result of he didn’t take cheap steps “to determine if she was consenting to his advances” however acquitted him of forcible confinement.
Stephen Williams, proper, who has legally modified his identify to Will Stephens, shields his face with an umbrella as walks towards the London courthouse to attend his trial on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. Stephens has pleaded not responsible to 12 charges, together with sexual assault. (Derek Ruttan/The )
Orsini mentioned the proof of the opposite two complainants, who each testified they’re now pals, had some substantial credibility issues. The defence argued at trial the 2 girls have been colluding in opposition to their former paramour who was courting them, unbeknownst to one another, on the similar time.
A few of the allegations from one of many girls have been that Stephens would disrobe her in public – with out producing any corroborating proof – and would present up at her home unannounced. Nevertheless, the lady agreed she would exit for dinner with him, went out on his boat and would go to his home and convey meals when he was sick.
Orsini discovered the lady “was being less than honest in her attempts to distance herself from an ongoing relationship with (Stephens) and to create the impression he was criminally harassing her.“
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Her most troubling allegation was her testimony that while boating on Lake Erie, Stephens ripped the crotch out of her bathing suit and “tried to rape me.” It was identified she by no means disclosed the allegations to the police earlier than the trial.
Orsini had considerations concerning the woman’s rivalry Stephens despatched an intimate picture of her to the opposite woman. The allegation wasn’t disclosed till January 2023 and was proof the ladies have been speaking to one another regardless of repeated warnings to not talk. The second woman produced the picture a yr later after retrieving it from an previous social media app.
Orsini had comparable credibility points with the second woman who met Stephens on a courting web site within the fall of 2020. They dated just a few months, remained pals, after which started courting once more in June 2022 whereas he was seeing different girls.
The girl testified Stephens bit her neck and choked her throughout {sex}, however later admitted the pair had consumed magic mushrooms earlier than the encounter and that he made loss of life threats in opposition to her utilizing TikTok movies.
Nevertheless, textual content exchanges between Stephens and the lady confirmed she instructed Stephens she felt a deep connection to him, professed her love for him and it was “the best sex of my entire life.”
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Her on-line reactions to the movies she mentioned upset her have been laughing emojis and feedback she thought the movies have been “so funny” earlier than partaking in common dialog with him. Orsini mentioned he couldn’t discover that Stephens despatched the movies as a risk.
“I am also not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of the guilt of Mr. Williams with respect to the other offences in relation to (the complainant). … Her evidence simply does not rise to the level of beyond a reasonable doubt given the inconsistencies noted.”
Stephens returns to courtroom on Friday to set a sentencing date.
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