A former Kelowna, B.C., RCMP officer, who admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to a victim of domestic assault, has been granted a conditional discharge and placed on probation for 12 months.
Sean Eckland, who served with the national police force from 2006 to 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to obstruct justice, after the messages were used by the victim’s assailant to benefit his case.
Eckland, 50, was the lead investigator on a domestic assault case in 2018 when he began exchanging sexually explicit messages with the victim over several months and sent her a photo of his penis, according to an agreed statement of facts included in his sentencing decision.
Eckland later asked the victim, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, to delete their text messages. He also failed to disclose their communication to his superiors or the lawyers prosecuting the victim’s case, the statement of facts says.
“Eckland’s actions in commencing the texting relationship … and then failing to disclose it to his superiors was a serious lapse in his judgment,” wrote Kelowna provincial court Judge Clarke Burnett in his decision this week.
“Eckland has broken the trust the community placed in him as a police officer.”
Eckland, who joined the RCMP in 2006, resigned from the force last year. The conditional discharge means he will not have a criminal record.
Burnett said while Eckland’s actions were “serious,” they did not rise to the same level as other officers who’ve committed similar offences.
“Society is better served by allowing Mr. Eckland the opportunity to move forward without the weight of a criminal record on his shoulder[s],” Burnett said.
“His ability to return to being a valued and contributing member of his community will not be hampered as a result.”
Eckland’s inappropriate relationship with the victim was first reported by Global News.
The victim’s boyfriend, who was charged with aggravated assault, sexual assault, uttering threats and forcible confinement, became aware of the sexting and used that information to apply to get his guilty pleas withdrawn, according to the statement of facts.
The court granted the boyfriend’s application and he was able to change his initial aggravated assault and unlawful confinement pleas, to aggravated assault and uttering threats. Other charges against him were stayed.
In Eckland’s trial, the Crown asked the judge for a jail sentence of three to six months to be served in the community.
But Burnett said there were several mitigating factors that led to the lesser sentence, including that Eckland was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the time of the offence.
The court heard that Eckland was diagnosed with PTSD in 2016 and continues to get treatment for it.
“I have been provided with medical evidence that supports a finding that his decision-making at the time was greatly impacted by this medical condition. This medical finding diminishes his moral blameworthiness,” Burnett said.
CBC News has reached out to the RCMP for comment.
