The contents of this story include graphic details.
A high-ranking Burnaby RCMP officer allegedly used his power to sexually assault a mentally vulnerable female subordinate and then coerced her into a relationship and threatened her into silence.
According to a claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Aug. 26, Staff-Sgt. Travis Pearson - previously a professional standards supervisor - directed Const. Susan Gastaldo to come to his home in May 2009 in order to discuss her return to work after medical leave.
Without Gastaldo's consent he allegedly "forcibly inflicted harmful" sex including anal intercourse, despite at least two demands that he stop.
During the next four months, Pearson allegedly gained "submission" from Gastaldo that "was directly related to his authority over her and the command culture of the RCMP," according to Gastaldo's suit.
Vancouver police were asked to complete an investigation in 2009 after Gastaldo complained to the RCMP, but the VPD investigator concluded the evidence did not support the complaint and no charges were laid.
According to Gastaldo's claim, the VPD detective failed to contact relevant medical experts or adequately consider evidence about alleged inappropriate conduct by Pearson in connection with two other female officers, and several municipal employees, including an alleged relationship "which had elements in common with [Gastaldo's] complaint."
In an interview, Gastaldo's lawyer Walter Kosteckyj told The Province she had difficulty coming forward, is under psychological care and likely won't be able to work again.
Gastaldo is pursuing the complaint because she believes she might be able to protect other women from sexual harassment and could only get justice with a civil claim, Kosteckyj said.
"When you have police officers investigating police officers there is always issues that are held up, and really this is the type of thing that needs to be investigated by a civilian arm," Kosteckyj said.
The federal attorney general and the B.C. solicitor general are also named as defendants in the suit. The RCMP would not comment on Gastaldo's claim while it is before the court. No statements of defence have been filed. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Gastaldo and Pearson both face a code-of-conduct hearing in September, and neither is currently working, according to the RCMP.
According to Gastaldo's suit, she had suffered various mental illnesses since joining the RCMP in 1998. Pearson allegedly gained access to her medical information using his position of authority and leveraged vulnerabilities in her family situation to control her.
The "misconduct" was "dishonest, malicious and wilful," the suit says.
According to the suit, Pearson controlled and "sexually humiliated" Gastaldo, "inflicting demeaning sex acts on her, including anal intercourse and sex in police vehicles and on the dirt in a garbage area."
Pearson allegedly told her that if she told anyone about the sex or sexting messages involved, "no one would believe her because he would tell them she was mentally unstable ... she would be transferred and it would only be a 'feather in his cap.'"
According to the suit, Gastaldo "did not report [Pearson's] conduct or end the sexual contact because she feared no one would believe her, her husband would take her children from her and [Pearson] would retaliate against her employment and career with the RCMP."
The relationship was discovered in August 2009 when Gastaldo's husband found a Blackberry with "intimate communications" and the couple filed a complaint with the RCMP.
