When a former Vancouver Police constable testified at the criminal trial of a colleague who sexually assaulted her, she says she knew it could ruin her career.

The woman, who canB次元官网网址檛 be named due to a publication ban, found out months after the May 2021 trial that text messages detailing her testimony were circulating among fellow officers, casting doubt on her story and whether the case could be proven.

B次元官网网址淚 struggled to put into words to describe just how devastating those were,B次元官网网址� she said in an interview. B次元官网网址淭hey were unbelievable.B次元官网网址�

She filed a complaint with the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner against the officer believed to have authored the texts, but it was found B次元官网网址渦nsubstantiated.B次元官网网址�

Now, another officer who distributed the texts to Vancouver police has been found to have committed B次元官网网址渄iscreditable conductB次元官网网址� by sharing the B次元官网网址渄isrespectfulB次元官网网址� commentary on her court testimony.

The decision against Narinder Dosanjh, authored by now-retired New Westminster police chief Dave Jansen, was obtained by The Canadian Press and includes the running commentary on the womanB次元官网网址檚 testimony B次元官网网址� apparently written by someone inside the courtroom.

It called her a B次元官网网址渂ad drunkB次元官网网址� and said there was B次元官网网址渘o wayB次元官网网址� her case would be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Jansen said his decision accounted for his experience with a police culture of treating officers who testify against each other as B次元官网网址渞ats.B次元官网网址�

Former Vancouver constable Jagraj Roger Berar was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to a year in jail for sexually assaulting the officer, who said the police department never treated her as B次元官网网址渁 victim of crime.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 have never been treated as a victim of harassment, sexual harassment, or bullying in that workplace,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 have never been treated as anything except a problem that might tarnish their reputation.B次元官网网址�

JansenB次元官网网址檚 decision, dated Oct. 11, said that the commentary in a Vancouver police group chat appeared B次元官网网址渟upportiveB次元官网网址� of Berar and reflected B次元官网网址渁ll-too-common mythsB次元官网网址� about women who make sexual assault allegations.

While Jansen found Dosanjh committed discreditable conduct by sharing the chats, the complaint against a more-senior Vancouver officer who was inside the courtroom, and who the victim and other officers believed wrote the commentary, were not substantiated.

JansenB次元官网网址檚 decision said he would accept submissions before deciding how Dosanjh should be reprimanded.

The woman who was assaulted was the complainant in the disciplinary investigation, and said in an interview she felt B次元官网网址渧indicatedB次元官网网址� by JansenB次元官网网址檚 decision because it B次元官网网址渢ruly paints what IB次元官网网址檝e been through,B次元官网网址� after reporting a fellow officer for sexual assault.

B次元官网网址淭hey think IB次元官网网址檓 a bad drunk. They thought of me exactly what people thought of women coming forward in the 70s and the 80s and 90s and all of that. ItB次元官网网址檚 all victim shaming, all of it, and I thought, B次元官网网址榟ow dare you? You know me.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

She said many other women in municipal policing fear speaking out about ill-treatment at work, and some have told her about being assaulted and harassed but feared ruining their careers if they complained.

B次元官网网址淭his decision is important for those women to see,B次元官网网址� said the woman, who is still in policing but with another agency. B次元官网网址淚t shows the tides are changing. Like, this is the first win IB次元官网网址檝e had.B次元官网网址�

A spokesman for the Surrey Police Service, where Dosanjh now works, did not immediately answer a question about how he was penalized, and said Dosanjh declined an interview request with The Canadian Press.

In his decision, Jansen said there was an B次元官网网址渦nfortunate but often pervasiveB次元官网网址� culture of treating officers who complain as B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址榬atsB次元官网网址�, who betrayed their colleagues.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚n terms of the messages themselves, Sergeant Dosanjh alleges that they are not degrading, humiliating or derogatory and do not attack the personal character of the complainant. I disagree,B次元官网网址� Jansen wrote.

The decision includes a screenshot of the commentary about the complainant, who said the order of the messages appeared to refer to her evidence while she was being cross-examined and suggested the comments were written by someone listening to her testimony.

The commentary in the chat group on the Signal messaging app said the victim B次元官网网址渨ore a wire twice,B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渁dmitted in cross to possibly drinking way more alcohol than she originally claimed.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淗er memory is super hazy and thereB次元官网网址檚 no way you can prove beyond reasonable doubt,B次元官网网址� the person wrote.

B次元官网网址淎nd she admitted that she is a really bad drunk,B次元官网网址� they added.

Another message said it was a B次元官网网址渘ail in the coffinB次元官网网址� of the case that video showed the complainant B次元官网网址渃uddling, holding handsB次元官网网址� with Berar.

The woman, who became aware of the commentary when a friend in the department showed them to her, was distressed by the messages and disputed their accuracy, said Jansen.

B次元官网网址淭he comments also appear to reflect some of the all-too-common myths around women making allegations of sexual assault. Some of these myths include the belief that because a victim socialized with the perpetrator, or engaged in some consensual activity with him, therefore she must have consented to the assault,B次元官网网址� he wrote.

JansenB次元官网网址檚 decision said Dosanjh shared the messages with a fellow officer after getting them from a B次元官网网址淰PD chat group that he claims he knew little about, from a co-worker he claims not to be able to identify.B次元官网网址�

The decision said other officers believed the commentary was written by a more-senior officer in the department who had been present at the trial, but Jansen said the discreditable conduct complaint against that person was unsubstantiated.

The decision said Dosanjh claimed he was the B次元官网网址渇all guyB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渁 pawn in a broader game.B次元官网网址�

JansenB次元官网网址檚 decision said Dosanjh was a senior officer and supervisor who was aware of the B次元官网网址渧ulnerability of victims of sexual crimes and of the myths that surround sexual assault victims.B次元官网网址�

It said DosanjhB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渄istribution of these messages that were disrespectful of an alleged victim of sexual violence who was also a co-worker, should they become public, would likely discredit the reputation of the police force.B次元官网网址�

The Vancouver Police Department did not provide comment on JansenB次元官网网址檚 decision.