Mountie fired over ‘flirty’ texts to teen
VA NCOUVER • An RCMP officer in Richmond, B.C., has been fired after a conduct review board found he used a police database to track down and send “flirty” text messages and suggestive photos to a teenage complainant in a sex-assault case.
The decision, released Nov. 8, says former constable Brian Eden’s behaviour undermined public confidence in the force. A RCMP spokeswoman said Eden has been dismissed.
“The subject member’s decision to pursue contact with (the teen) via sexualized text messages (was) fundamentally at odds with the duties he clearly knew he owed a 17- year- old sexual- assault complainant,” John McKinlay wrote about the officer on behalf of the RCMP board.
“It was despite this knowledge that the subject member then transmitted the egregious generic image involving a bed cover-obscured erection, and later, in what I find a highly manipulative manner, expressed his willingness to receive a picture of ( the woman) while she was wearing a bathing suit.”
Neither Eden nor his lawyer could be reached for comment. It is unclear if an appeal is planned.
The conduct board says Eden, 40 at the time, first communicated with t he young woman in January, 2015, to collect a witness statement related to a sexualassault investigation. He accessed the police database two days later to look up the same investigation “for unauthorized personal reasons.”
Eden r eportedly s ent about 280 texts to the young woman between Feb. 1 and 11, i ncluding a shirtless photo of himself and a generic picture of a man, waist down, wearing boxer shorts, accompanied by the message: “Shhhh.”
Other texts copied verbatim in the decision include Eden calling the woman a “Saucey little thing,” and telling her “send a pic,” “im a fan of yoga pants ... hint lol.”
The exchange ended only when the teen’s messages began to suggest she was thinking of killing herself and Eden was forced to call for help and identify himself, the decision says.
The document also confirms a second i ncident around the same time in which Eden used police records to track down and ask a woman for coffee after issuing her a traffic ticket.
Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau, a spokeswoman for the RCMP, said Eden was suspended in February, 2015, and was dismissed f ollowing l ast month’s decision.
Eden admitted to two counts of using police data systems for personal reasons and pursuing a relationship with an underage woman he knew was the complainant in a sex- assault investigation. He denied reaching out to a woman he issued a traffic infraction violated the RCMP’s code of conduct.
Mitigating factors listed in the decision included the short period of time over which the misconduct took place, Eden’s otherwise positive work history as well as his devotion to the job and willingness to rehabilitate.