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Ex-cop pleads guilty to sex crimes

Dow admits to assaults on 10 women

By: Gabrielle Giroday

Posted: 05/9/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

A former Winnipeg police officer has admitted to sexually assaulting more than 10 young women whom he persuaded to model for his off-duty photography business.

Richard Dow, 57, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of sexual assault Tuesday, involving women in their late teens or early twenties.

Last week, a jury found Dow not guilty of sexually assaulting a female modelling client during a photo shoot at his home in 2000. After the acquittal, a second trial was set to begin involving sexual-assault allegations involving about 20 women.

Instead, before the first witness took the stand in the new trial, he pleaded guilty to 11 counts of sexual assault, for incidents from 2001 to 2005. He was still an officer at the time.

The cases Dow admitted to on Tuesday involved aspiring models who agreed to pose for photos but were then touched by him in places like their breasts or thighs without their consent.

In at least two cases court heard, the women said he touched their vaginal area without permission.

In one case, Dow went up to a 19-year-old girl and her mother in a mall, saying he was a police officer.

The 19-year-old agreed to be photographed by Dow and her mother came with her, but on an occasion when she came alone in 2005, Dow squeezed her breast while she posed in a bikini.

In another case in 2003, Dow suggested nude photos to an 18-year-old girl posing for him and then straddled her as she lay on her stomach and massaged her.

Marty Minuk, the lawyer acting for the Crown, said the girl felt "frozen with fear" and "helpless."

Another case happened in 2004, after Dow and his daughter met an 18-year-old girl at a local restaurant and told her he was a photographer.

During a later photo shoot, the girl said Dow told her she could be in magazine and rubbed oil all over her body.

By September 2006, police had announced Dow, who had 18 years on the job, had been placed on paid administrative leave for accusations of sexual assault, and he later retired.

Tuesday, Dow stood with his lawyers as he declared himself guilty on each charge.

Minuk told court Dow's guilty plea had been considered carefully and discussed with the victims who'd come forward.

"We spent a long evening... speaking to them directly," said Minuk.

As a result of the plea, 13 charges were dropped including five counts of sexual exploitation and eight counts of sexual assault.

Minuk told the court he wants to see Dow do jail time, while defence counsel said Dow wants to serve a conditional sentence.

No sentence has been determined, and the next court date is set for August.

gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 9, 2012 B1

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