Former Canadian vice admiral found not guilty of sexually abusing a sailor on a ship in 1991

OTTAWA, Ontario – A former senior Canadian Army officer was found not guilty of sexual assault and committing an indecent act by a judge Monday in a 33-year-old case involving a junior, lower-ranking soldier.

Former Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson was chief of military personnel in 2021 when he was accused of assaulting another member of the Navy during a deployment in 1991.

Plaintiff Stephanie Viau testified during the trial, which began in February, that she was 19 years old and held the lowest rank in the Navy at the time of the alleged attack, while Edmundson was a senior officer.

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

In his decision in the Ontario Court of Justice, Justice Matthew Webber said prosecutors had not proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt, citing concerns about Viau's memory of events more than 30 years ago and a lack of evidence to support her testimony.

“There are just too many problems, and it's not my job to explain what happened,” Webber said. “That's not my job. My job is just to decide whether guilt has been sufficiently proven or not, and that's not the case.”

A small group of Edmundson's supporters gasped in the courtroom as the verdict was read. Edmundson shook hands with his lawyer.

Outside court, defense attorney Brian Greenspan said his client was pleased with the “clear and decisive confirmation of his unwavering stance that he is not guilty of these false allegations.”

During the trial, Viau testified that her duties aboard the ship included waking officers for night watches and other night duties, and that she regularly woke Edmundson during that assignment in 1991.

The court has received conflicting evidence regarding the wake-up calls.

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

She testified that he began sleeping naked and one night she found him completely naked on the sheets. Viau said she “freaked out,” yelled at him and turned on the light to wake up the other officer who was sleeping in the top bunk.

This incident was the basis for the charge of indecent act.

Viau claimed the sexual assault occurred a few days after she yelled at Edmundson. When Edmundson testified in his defense, he denied having any physical or sexual contact with Viau.

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

He resigned from his post as chief of military personnel after the allegations against him became public in 2021. The charges were filed months later, in December 2021.

Edmundson testified that he was ordered to retire from the armed forces by the Chief of Staff of the United States Army in February 2022.

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