Retired vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson found not guilty of sexual assault

Retired vice-admiral Haydn Edmundson, accused of sexually assaulting a woman more than 30 years ago, was acquitted of all charges in an Ottawa courtroom on Monday, including one count of committing indecent acts.

Ontario Court of Justice Matthew C. Webber delivered the verdict in the judge-alone trial.

During the eight-day trial, which began on Feb. 5, Stéphanie Viau alleged that Edmundson sexually assaulted her while they were deployed on a naval ship. According to Viau, the assault took place in Edmundson’s cabin while the ship was docked at a U.S. Navy base on Nov. 8, 1991, when Edmundson was a lieutenant-commander and the ship’s navigator.

Although Viau’s identity had initially been protected by a publication ban, she requested its removal during closing arguments, and the court lifted the restriction.

Viau testified that Edmundson called her into his quarters, where she froze and feared for her life as he approached her. She claimed that he kissed her, unbuttoned her shirt and bra, pulled down her shorts and underwear, and performed oral sex on her. Viau stated that Edmundson then grabbed her and "proceeded raping me."

Edmundson, however, denied the allegations, stating under oath that he never had any physical or sexual contact with Viau.

The court heard that one of Viau’s duties aboard the ship was to wake officers, including Edmundson, for their night shifts. She testified that during one mission, she found parts of Edmundson’s body exposed while waking him, and a few days before the alleged assault, she became upset after finding him naked in bed. Viau said she yelled and turned on the lights, in part to wake Edmundson’s bunkmate to witness the incident.

Edmundson refuted these claims, stating that the event never occurred and that he did not have a bunkmate at the time.

During closing arguments, Edmundson’s lawyer, Brian Greenspan, pointed out that the Crown did not challenge Edmundson on key facts, including his denial of having a bunkmate. Greenspan also noted that Viau had misidentified two individuals she thought were Edmundson’s roommates, which was later proven inaccurate. He argued that if Viau had indeed had such an outburst, it would have been overheard by others on the ship, yet no supporting evidence was provided.

However, assistant Crown attorney Juliana Martel maintained that Viau remained consistent in her testimony, providing detailed accounts of both the alleged assault and the incident involving Edmundson’s exposure. Martel also dismissed the defense’s claim that Edmundson did not have a roommate.

Both lawyers referenced testimony from one of Viau’s friends who was on the ship at the time. This witness, whose identity is protected under a publication ban, supported Viau’s claim that they had planned to go to a bar when the ship docked in November 1991. The witness stated that she and another colleague searched for Viau on the ship that evening but assumed she had already left for the bar when they couldn’t find her. Viau testified that she heard her friend calling out for her while she was in Edmundson’s cabin.

Greenspan argued that the friend’s testimony was unreliable, claiming that many of the details she shared had been influenced by CBC News reporter Ashley Burke, who had interviewed her in 2021. Martel disagreed, stating that the witness provided sworn testimony based on her own recollection.