Toronto cop accused of sexually assaulting woman who called police over domestic threat

A Toronto police officer who responded to a woman’s call for help about a domestic-related threat is alleged to have returned to the victim’s home the next day and sexually assaulted her, according to newly released police documents.Earlier this year, Ontario’s police watchdog the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) charged Const. Conal Quinn with sexual assault and breach of trust following a March 21, 2021, incident involving a Toronto woman. Details of the alleged assault are contained in documents released this week by the Toronto police tribunal, where Quinn made his first appearance Tuesday. In addition to the criminal charges, Quinn faces three professional misconduct charges under Ontario’s Police Services Act stemming from the alleged assault. He is currently suspended with pay.The allegations have not been proven at the tribunal and Quinn, who worked out of 52 Division downtown, has not yet entered a plea. Officers found guilty at the tribunal face consequences ranging from a reprimand to dismissal.David Butt, Quinn’s lawyer, declined to comment on the allegations, saying his client will fully address them at the hearing.“As always, I encourage everyone to avoid jumping to premature conclusions based on incomplete information,” Butt said.According to police documents, on March 20, 2021, Quinn was dispatched to a woman’s home after she reported being the victim in a “domestic-related threatening.” Quinn provided contact information to the woman “should she require further police assistance,” the documents allege.The next day, after the woman contacted Quinn as she was returning to her home, the officer went back to the woman’s apartment. He left another call he’d been on at the time without telling the communications operator, according to the documents.It’s alleged that when Quinn arrived he sexually assaulted the woman.“While there to assist (the woman), a victim, you began to initiate physical contact including, hugging ... rubbing her back, and you then began kissing her,” the documents allege.Quinn then went into the woman’s bedroom “in full uniform on duty” and began touching her in a sexual manner, the police documents allege.“In so doing, you improperly used your character and position as a member of the service for private advantage,” the documents allege.The woman later complained to SIU, resulting in Quinn’s arrest. According to the watchdog, the officer was released on a promise to appear and is scheduled to be in court later this month. In 2018, a Toronto police officer pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for sending what a police prosecutor called “inappropriate” texts to a woman, one day after he responded to a domestic incident involving her ex-boyfriend. After getting the woman’s phone number from his colleague, Const. Jeffrey MacArthur began texting her around midnight to check-in, asking if the officers “get a 10” for their service. Near 4 a.m., the officer sent a collage of photos of himself — including one where he was shirtless, another where he was doing a handstand on the beach — before saying “Sorry!!! That was for someone else.”The woman later posted on Facebook about the text messages, asking if she should report the officer’s behaviour. “I thought the first message was really nice, but now I’m questioning his intentions,” she wrote. The woman later complained to the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, resulting in the professional misconduct charge against MacArthur. Police prosecutor, Insp. Shane Branton, called the texts “clear misconduct,” saying they “violated the trust” the complainant would have had in police.Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing for the Star. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis