Haydn Edmundson, a retired vice admiral, entered a not guilty plea and refutes any misconduct.
Retired vice admiral Haydn Edmundson, the former head of human resources for the military, is accused of sexually abusing a woman. The victim claimed that she froze and remained silent during the alleged attack out of fear for her life and potential repercussions.
“I kept imagining different situations… What happens if you scream? What will take place? Will he strangle you? Will it destroy your professional life? “Are they going to push you too far?” the woman, who had sobbed multiple times, said in an Ottawa courtroom on Monday morning.
“At the same time, I was really terrified. I was a young person. He held a senior officer position. What consequences would I have faced if I had yelled, shoved, refused, or disobeyed?”
Edmundson’s intimate relationship
Monday marked the start of the assault trial, which is being held almost 30 years after the alleged attack.
In the Ontario Court of Justice, only one judge is presiding over his trial. In a damning 2022 report about sexual misbehavior in the military, former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour advocated for civilian police and courts to handle all sexual assault cases involving complaints against military members. Her recommendations were followed by his trial in a civilian court.
Edmundson was among a number of prominent military personnel who faced allegations of sexual misconduct in the beginning of 2021, sparking a controversy that resulted in an outside probe into the Forces.
Edmundson was accused in December 2021. He subsequently retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and resigned as head of military personnel command.
