By Canadian Press

Two more women file suits alleging sexual assault by Newfoundland police officer

May 2, 2024 | 11:18 AM

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Two more women have filed lawsuits alleging they were sexually assaulted by an on-duty member of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary who offered them rides home from a night of drinking in downtown St. John’s.

Their statements of claim filed with the province’s Supreme Court name the provincial government, which is responsible for the police force, as the sole defendant.

One suit alleges that in 2012, Sgt. Robert Baldwin, who has since retired, drove the plaintiff to a secluded area and forced her to perform oral sex and to have intercourse with him.

The other claims that in 2014, Baldwin entered the plaintiff’s house after driving her home, under the guise of helping her, and then had non-consensual sex with her, which resulted in physical injuries.

The allegations made in the lawsuits, filed by lawyer Lynn Moore on March 28 and amended on April 29, have not been tested in court, and messages left by The Canadian Press for Baldwin were not returned.

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Moore filed two other lawsuits in 2022 in which eight women, including an RNC officer, alleged they were sexually assaulted or violated by members of the force, including Baldwin.

A lawyer representing Baldwin in the previous two suits alleging sexual assault said she had not been retained by him in the latest cases. In response to the previous lawsuits, she has said Baldwin categorically denies all the allegations.

No criminal charges have been laid in relation to the allegations, and Moore says the women are choosing to pursue civil suits because they have lost confidence in the criminal courts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2024.

The Canadian Press