Latest news with #KenPrice
CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
‘Highly likely' Windsor cop harassed complainant but no proof of sexual assault: Judge
A Windsor police officer was found not guilty of sexual assault. Staff Sgt Ken Price has been acquitted of four counts of sexual assault laid by a complainant who is a former auxiliary officer. 'Relieved,' is how defence lawyer Dan Scott characterized Price's feelings just moments after Justice Jennifer Myers read her decision. 'The truth of the matter is, had that sort of conduct taken place, someone would have complained,' Scott said. Justice Myers noted in all four alleged interactions, other officers were nearby. 'Here, it seems that there were so many witnesses who could have corroborated (the victims) account and bolstered the reliability of the Crowns case as a whole,' Justice Myers said Wednesday. Between 2011 and 2015 the complainant alleged Price touched her inappropriately on four occasions at the training branch for the Windsor Police Service (WPS). Price was a training officer. The complainant an auxiliary officer at the time. Justice Myers said while she found Price's testimony at trial to be 'dismissive' of the complainant and at times 'self-serving', she said the complainant's testimony, at times, lacked 'common sense'. 'I've found that Mr. Price's evidence does not raise a reasonable doubt but given the frailties of (the complainants) evidence and the lack of corroborative evidence from the witnesses who would have been in a position to observe, I cannot find Mr. Price guilty.' In one of her allegations, the complainant said she was helping Price put on body armour used during training scenarios. She said Price grabbed her wrist, and placed her hand over his crotch where there was no protection from the body armour. Justice Myers rejected that allegation, saying it was clear body armour would automatically have coverage in the mid-section because of how the top and bottom attach to each other. In another, the complainant alleged Price grabbed her buttocks in front of another officer. The judge rejected that complaint as well, ruling there was no way the other officer would have missed the interaction and kept quiet about it as he and the complainant are close friends. 'I'm not finding that (the complainant) lied. I find it highly likely that Mr. Price sexually harassed (the complainant) but that's not what I'm here to decide,' the judge said. 'And even if he likely sexually assaulted her that is not enough for me.' The judge said the Crown failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. 'There's a 30-day review period with respect to a potential appeal,' Assistant Crown Attorney Nicholas Demontigny told CTV News. 'As with any case, the Crown will be considering whether to proceed on that route and as such, the matter is before the courts, and I can't comment any further at this time.' Demontigny said the complainant was 'not pleased' and 'disappointed' by Justice Myers' decision. 'It was the proper verdict,' President of the Windsor Police Association, Kent Rice said. 'We need to adhere to the principles of assumption of innocence until proven guilty and the integrity of the law and how it works for everyone. It's a process, and nobody is above it.' Price has been suspended with pay from work since the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) laid the charges in June 2024. WPS officials say an internal investigation is underway by the Professional Standards Branch, under the Police Services Act. They won't say when Price can return to work.
CBC
7 days ago
- CBC
Judge finds Windsor police staff sergeant not guilty of sexual assault
The "frailty" of some of the complainant's testimony and the lack of witnesses in the trial were two reasons the judge said she could not find Windsor police Staff Sgt. Ken Price committed sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt.
CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
Windsor police officer found not guilty of sexual assault
A Windsor police officer was found not guilty of sexual assault. Staff Sgt Ken Price was charged with four counts for alleged offences between 2011 and 2015 when the complainant was an auxiliary service member. Justice Jennifer Myers said her decision was based on 'credibility and reliability' of the complainant and Price. There were only two witnesses during last weeks five-day trial; the complainant and Price. This is a breaking story. More to come.
CBC
16-07-2025
- CBC
Judge will rule today in a Windsor police officer's sexual assault trial
Coming Up Staff Sgt. Ken Price is charged with 4 counts of sexual assault A Windsor judge is expected to rule today whether a Windsor Police Service staff sergeant is guilty of four counts of sexual assault. Justice Jennifer Myers is scheduled to give a verdict in Ontario Court of Justice in the case of Ken Price, who's pleaded not guilty. In the week-long trial last week, only two people testified — Price and the complainant, who claims Price sexually assaulted her when they both worked at the service between 2011 and 2015. Defence lawyer Dan Scott focused last week on the complainant's memory, as she was unable to recall seasons or even years when the alleged incidents happened. The complainant, meanwhile, testified that the incidents were too traumatic to record in her notes. Crown attorney Nicolas de Montigny argued that the woman was "credible and reliable" and "unshaken in cross examination." There is a publication ban on the identity of the victim.
CTV News
12-07-2025
- CTV News
Sexual assault trial against former Windsor staff sergeant wrapping up soon
Final submissions were presented in the sex assault trial of Windsor police Staff Sgt Ken Price. A Windsor police officer facing four counts of sexual assault is one step closer to a verdict. Final submissions were presented in provincial court Friday. The officer, who has been on paid leave throughout the trial, now awaits the judge's decision in the coming days. The special investigations unit laid charges against Staff Sgt. Ken Price including four counts of sexual assault against a former female auxiliary force member who cannot be named due to a publication ban. He is accused of a number of alleged incidents including sniffing her hair, grabbing her behind, pressing his body against hers, and dry humping her during a training exercise between 2011 and 2015. According to the complainant, all of the occurrences were unwanted and misappropriate behavior. The defence re-iterating Friday, Price denies any wrongdoing, and that this case is based on credibility, reliability, and accuracy, which he said the complainant did not show, saying she gave unreliable evidence in 'totality.' But the crown disagrees, saying the complaints' evidence is consistent, unshaken, and detailed. The Crown reminded the court the complainant started volunteering at the department in 2009 and left in 2015 due to the trauma she experienced from interacting with Price and her fear of running into him again. He ended his submission by referencing a case that states, 'Myths and stereotypes against sexual assault victims are still common.' Judgement is expected next Wednesday.
