WARNING: This story references sexual assault and ideas of suicide.
Defence legal professionals for Hamilton police Const. Jeffrey Turnbull continued their cross-examination of the lady accusing him of sexual assault in March 2022, questioning the timeline and choice of textual content messages between the 2 colleagues that had been despatched in the early months of that yr.
Turnbull has pleaded not responsible to sexually assaulting the 28-year-old police constable, whose id is protected by a publication ban.
She stated he despatched her inappropriate messages and touched her with out consent over a four-month interval earlier than sexually assaulting her within the basement of his dwelling.
The trial, earlier than the Ontario Courtroom of Justice in Hamilton, started Tuesday. Justice Jennifer Marie Campitelli is listening to the case.
Earlier this week, the lady recounted in larger element what she says occurred that yr. On Thursday, defence lawyer Joanne Mulcahy requested the complainant a few collection of textual content message screenshots she offered to police investigators after reporting Turnbull in April 2022.
Throughout Crown lawyer Jason Nicol’s questioning of the lady on Tuesday, the court docket heard the lady made the screenshot alternatives. Neither Hamilton police nor provincial Particular Investigations Unit investigators went by her cellphone.
Mulcahy requested the lady concerning the order of screenshots she provided, noting the occasions on one web page didn’t make sense.
After some dialogue, the lady agreed the web page was out of order.
Later, when discussing messages Turnbull and the lady exchanged about his canine, Mulcahy requested why extra messages weren’t included within the screenshots. The lady stated she did not assume they had been related.
Defence says Turnbull apologized by textual content, gave items
The defence lawyer additionally requested about texts the court docket seen, in addition to an in-person dialog the lady recounted through which she instructed Turnbull she’d heard rumours about his behaviour with ladies.
The lady stated she made it clear to Turnbull she did not need him speaking about her to different individuals and needed distance from him. She instructed the court docket he would message her each day and ship her inappropriate feedback, equivalent to calling her “simply horny.”
Mulcahy stated distance didn’t come up within the dialog and the 2 simply mentioned rumours.
After that dialog, Mulcahy stated, messages confirmed Turnbull apologizing, agreeing to tone issues down and making an attempt to cheer the lady up by giving her items together with cleaning soap and a pillow to assist with a again harm she had.
“He didn’t tone it down,” the lady stated.
Woman stored messaging Turnbull again, defence says
Mulcahy learn one other textual content through which Turnbull requested her to let him know if she needed him to cease messaging her.
“You do not ship a textual content asking him to cease speaking to you, do you?” Mulcahy requested.
“I don’t,” the lady stated.
In one other occasion, Turnbull requested over textual content if she needed him to cease messaging her.
“You do not say sure or ship a textual content to that impact,” Mulcahy stated.
“No, as a result of I’m not required to,” the lady responded.
The alleged sufferer within the case is a Hamilton police constable whose id is protected by a publication ban. (Nathan Fung/CBC)
On Tuesday, the lady stated Turnbull gave her “many” items, together with the cleaning soap, which she stated he left in her mailbox.
On Thursday, Mulcahy learn from textual content screenshots, indicating, in truth, the cleaning soap was in Turnbull’s mail slot. The lady stated that was her mistake.
Mulcahy requested if it was good of Turnbull to offer the lady cleaning soap. She stated it made her “uncomfortable.”
Mulcahy stated she by no means texted that to Turnbull or instructed investigators she stated that. Mulcahy learn screenshots displaying the lady responding: ‘All good,’ then stated: “You do not say cease texting me.”
Earlier within the week, the lady, who had been employed in 2021, instructed the court docket she was anxious about her profession in the course of the course of their interplay as a result of Turnbull “had a ton of seniority” over her.
Defence suggests a pleasant relationship
The lawyer prompt the 2 cops would ship one another memes (humorous photographs or movies that always flow into on social media platforms), music and discuss their lives.
Mulcahy stated Turnbull despatched the lady a hyperlink to a physiotherapy and rehab enterprise in Ancaster to assist along with her again. The lady stated that did not occur. Then, Mulcahy confirmed the court docket what she described as a recovered Snapchat message historical past displaying he had.
By default, most messages despatched over Snapchat mechanically disappear.
Mulcahy additionally learn out textual content messages from Feb. 15 through which the lady talked to Turnbull about re-adding her on Snapchat. He stated he deleted her contact so he would not bug her, to which she responded: “Lol impolite.”
“He is deleted you. You search him out,” Mulcahy stated.
“If that is the way you need to have a look at it,” the lady responded.
Ontario’s Particular Investigations Unit, which investigates incidents involving police that result in dying, critical harm or sexual assault, notified the general public concerning the sexual assault cost towards Turnbull in June 2023. (Yvon Theriault/CBC)
She instructed the court docket she had to answer Turnbull “as a result of if I did not, my life at work obtained quite a bit worse.”
On Tuesday, she stated Turnbull talked about killing himself if she stopped responding.
Defence evaluations work schedules
Mulcahy went by the lady’s February work schedule in an try to confirm what she says occurred within the workplace. The schedule confirmed her assigned to discipline work or off many of the month.
The lady instructed the court docket that in early February, she was working modified workplace duties within the police station when Turnbull touched her thigh with out consent. Later that month, she stated, he kissed her within the workplace.
The lady stated some days, she was assigned to discipline work, then reassigned to workplace work.
Mulcahy additionally prompt a number of interactions occurred between Turnbull and the lady that the lady denied. These included sexting, her telling him she’d prefer to know what it could be prefer to kiss him, her displaying him photographs of herself in a bikini, sending him selfies on Snapchat and sending her a photograph of herself bathing. Mulcahy has not but offered proof to again up these claims.
The trial continues Friday.
For anybody who has been sexually assaulted, there may be help out there by disaster strains and native help providers through the Ending Violence Affiliation of Canada database.
