‘You’re a predator’: Sentencing hearing for B.C. Mountie who broke trust, pursued teen

globalnews.ca:

A suspended Surrey RCMP officer accused of using his position of authority to engage in intimate relationships with women — both on and off-duty — likely won’t face traditional jail time, a sentencing hearing in B.C. provincial court has heard.

Judge Grace Oh reserved her sentencing decision on Cpl. Peter Leckie, who pleaded guilty Oct. 30 to three counts of breach of trust for accessing confidential files unrelated to his policing duties, without authorization.

In a joint submission, the Crown and defence counsels are recommending an 18-month conditional sentence followed by one year of probation. For the first six months, Leckie would be under house arrest and electronic monitoring.

Leckie declined to speak with Global News outside the courthouse.

In a submission from Crown counsel Andrea Kastanis, the court heard Leckie abused his power to search police databases for information on a 19-year-old sex worker and her mother.

He then showed up at their home under false pretenses in January 2014 to “test the waters” in pursuing a sexual relationship with the teen.

Two of the three victims read emotional victim impact statements in court in Surrey on Wednesday — the first day of the sentencing hearing.

“When you came into my life, I was a lost and broken 19-year-old who was facing tremendous obstacles in her life,” said the former sex worker, who is now 29.

The victim told the court she had just entered the sex trade and been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and PTSD when she first met Leckie, while her father had also recently been murdered.

The Crown also submitted that Leckie knew about the victim’s prior Car 67 visits. Car 67 is a program that provides crisis intervention, risk assessments and referrals to