Ottawa defends RCMP, urges court to dismiss lawsuit launched by ex-Portage man wrongly accused of sex crimes

Federal government lawyers are asking that a former Portage la Prairie resident’s lawsuit against the RCMP, filed after he was mistakenly charged with sex crimes, be tossed out of court.

Scott Joseph Taylor, who is in his mid-30s, was among seven people arrested after a Long Plain First Nation woman was accused of befriending and luring teens, then coercing them into performing sex acts in exchange for drugs in Portage over several months last year.

He filed a lawsuit in Court of King’s Bench against the RCMP and federal government in August, claiming there was clear evidence he was not the man they were looking for and that investigators mistook him for another man of the same name.

He said last year the accusations, made public in the media, made him feel as if his “life is ruined.”

But in a statement of defence filed on behalf of the government and the RCMP late in November, the attorney general’s lawyers argue Mounties had reasonable and probable grounds to charge Taylor — and that his lawsuit has no merit.

“The (Attorney General of Canada) therefore asks that the claim be dismissed, with costs awarded to the AGC,” the government court filing argues.

The government’s court papers say the RCMP acted “lawfully, reasonably and in good faith.”

The defence filing alleges RCMP had previous interactions with Taylor and that he had connections to one of individuals involved in the exploitation ring.

Further, the filing says, Taylor’s name and race matched with the information the victim had shared about someone who had sought to have sex with her.

Taylor said in his lawsuit his defence lawyer learned through disclosure that the man the victim had identified worked for Canadian National Railway, had a beard, and had lived with the victim’s mother.

He hadn’t had a beard in 20 years, never worked for the railway and never lived with the mother, his court filing said.

The government’s defence papers also claim Taylor was “known to be frequently and publicly intoxicated” and that there are records of RCMP receiving complaints about him, including for alleged “stalking.”

Taylor was named in an RCMP media release that was widely reported on; Mounties put out another statement the month after his arrest confirming he hadn’t been involved in the incident and that all charges against him had been stayed.

He claims in his lawsuit the media release amounted to defamation, which the government denied in its court fillings, instead arguing statements in the media release were made in good faith, responsibly and without malice.

The government court papers say any damage or injury Taylor’s reputation suffered was as a result of his own unrelated actions, including other criminal charges and alleged behaviours.

He claims to have suffered mental distress, which the RCMP deny causing.

Taylor spent three days in jail before his release on bail. He said he was later assaulted on the street in Portage la Prairie and someone spray-painted the words “Certified Pedo” on his home.

The government claims Taylor reported to the RCMP only one of the alleged “vigilante responses” he says he experienced — an online threat made in September 2024.

The defence filing says prior to the charges being stayed, RCMP showed the victim in the case a photograph of Taylor and she confirmed she did not recognize him.

Taylor later moved away from Portage “out of fear for his safety,” he said last year.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca