National Post (National Edition)
Ex-premier Campbell accused of sexual assault.
WAS HIGH COMMISSIONER TO BRITAIN WHEN SEXUAL ASSAULT CLAIM LEVIED
Scotland Yard is investigating an allegation of sexual assault made against Gordon Cambell, the former Canadian High Commissioner to Britain, by a female London embassy worker. Campbell, who served as premier of British Columbia for more than a decade, has been reported to police, accused of groping a member of staff in 2013.
The complaint has been passed to the Foreign Office, which is facilitating discussions between the force and the Canadian authorities.
British government sources ndicated i that Canada may open its own inquiry and could waive Campbell’s diplomatic immunity if asked to do so.
A spokesman for Campbell said: “This complaint was transparently disclosed and became the subject of a full due diligence investigation at the time by the government of Canada and was found to be without merit.”
Campbell’s alleged victim, Judith Prins, accuses him of groping her before a meeting at the embassy, Canada House, in Trafalgar Square.
Prins, then a Canadian embassy worker, had been climbing the main staircase of Canada House to a meeting, unaware that Campbell had been following closely behind her.
In a formal complaint submitted later to the embassy, Prins claimed she had been made to feel “humiliated and disrespected”. But at that moment, she simply “froze”.
“In that moment it just felt as though someone had just invaded my home or robbed me,” she said, speaking to The Daily Telegraph about the incident for the first time.
“I distinctly remember this hand went up my backside. It was significant. It wasn’ t, Oops, sorry I ‘ brushed you.’ It was definitely someone having a feel.” Campbell, she said,
couldn’t have reacted more differently. “I was shocked when we were in the meeting because he just carried on as if it was business as usual.
“He was just unashamedly being normal, absolutely no regard for what he had just done to me. I think that’s just where I had to file it away in my mind. I didn’t know how to process it at the time.”
The Dutch-Canadian mother of three, who lives in the UK, told The Telegraph she chose to speak out in the wake of the # MeToo movement and the claims surrounding British billionaire businessman Sir Philip Green, who is accused of sexual assault and using racist comments. Pressure is growing to strip Sir Philip of his knighthood. He has categorically denied the allegations.
Prins, 54, made her formal complaint in January 2014, which she resolved on terms she is prohibited from discussing. However, she passed details of the complaint to The Telegraph, describing the allegation plus several more claims of inappropriate behaviour over a seven-month period.
She also claims she was warned by Mark Fletcher, the then Consul General, that three other women raised concerns about Campbell’s behaviour before she took up the role.
Prins says while the decision to waive her right to anonymity is “extremely daunting,” she believes her experiences are similar to other women who have felt unable to speak out against those in a “position of privilege, respect and power”.
Prins made a formal allegation of sexual assault to police last month.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers were “investigating an allegation of sexual assault that occurred in 2013.”
They added: “A 54- yearold woman contacted police on 3 January 2019 and alleged she had been sexually assaulted at an address in Grosvenor Square. No arrests have been made at this
stage. Inquiries are ongoing.”
Last night a spokesman for the Canadian government said it had “zero tolerance for sexual assault and harassment”, adding: “This kind of alleged misconduct in the workplace is absolutely unacceptable.”
In June last year, Campbell was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada, a recognition of his tireless service to Canada stretching back more than four decades.
After serving as mayor of Vancouver, he became leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party for 18 years, and in 2001 was appointed to lead the province after securing a crushing election victory over the governing New Democratic Party.
Two years after being elected as premier, Campbell was arrested and charged with drink-related driving in Hawaii.
His arrest became national news, leading to calls from several politicians that he step down.
Speaking at an emotional news conference after the controversy, Campbell said that “words cannot begin to convey the remorse and profound regret I feel for my actions ... How could I have been so stupid?”
He continued as premier, but by 2009, his decision to sell off parts of BC Rail ended in a political corruption inquiry that resulted in two former ministerial aides pleading guilty to breach of trust.
Months later, his government introduced legislation intended to increase sales taxes, which was widely opposed by consumers and led to a significant decline in popular support for his party.
By October 2010, polling showed that Campbell’s approval rating had fallen to just nine per cent, and the following March he resigned. He was named high commissioner to the UK soon afterward by then- prime minister Stephen Harper. He stepped down as high commissioner in 2016.