Former high-ranking Canadian military officer found not guilty in decades-old sexual assault case

OTTAWA, Ontario -- A former high-ranking member of the Canadian military was found not guilty by a judge Monday of sexual assault and committing an indecent act in a 33-year-old case involving a younger, lower-ranking servicemember.

Former Vice Adm. Haydn Edmundson was head of the military’s personnel in 2021 when he was accused of assaulting another member of the navy during a 1991 deployment.

The complainant, Stephanie Viau, testified during the trial that began in February that she was 19 years old and had the navy’s lowest rank at the time of the alleged assault, while Edmundson was an older officer.

Edmundson pleaded not guilty and testified that he never had sexual contact with Viau.

In reading his decision in the Ontario Court of Justice, Justice Matthew Webber said prosecutors did not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. He cited concerns with the Viau's memory of what happened more than 30 years ago, and a lack of evidence to corroborate her account.

“There are just too many problems, and I’m not in the business of ... declaring what happened,” Webber said. “That’s not my job. My job is to just decide whether or not guilt has been proven to the requisite standard, and it hasn’t.”

A small group of Edmundson’s supporters gasped in court when the verdict was read. Edmundson shook his lawyer’s hand.

Outside court, defense lawyer Brian Greenspan said his client was gratified by the “clear, decisive vindication of his steadfast position that he was not guilty of these false accusations.”

During the trial, Viau testified that one of her responsibilities on board the ship was to wake officers for night watch and other overnight duties, and that she woke Edmundson regularly during that 1991 deployment.

The court has heard conflicting evidence about the wake-up calls.

Viau estimated that she woke Edmundson every second or third night, and she told the court that his behavior became progressively worse during the deployment.

She testified that he started sleeping naked and that one night she found him completely exposed on top of the sheets. Viau said she “went berserk,” yelling at him and turning on the lights to wake the other officer sleeping in the top bunk.

That incident was the basis for the indecent act charge.

Viau alleged that the sexual assault happened a couple of days after her yelling at Edmundson. When Edmundson took the stand in his own defense, he denied having physical or sexual contact with Viau.

Edmundson was one of several senior military leaders accused of sexual misconduct in early 2021.

He stepped down from his position as head of military personnel after the accusation against him was made public in 2021. The charges were laid months later, in December 2021.

Edmundson testified that in February 2022, he was directed by the chief of the defense staff to retire from the Armed Forces.