A former St. Thomas police officer is going to prison for committing a sexual offence against an underage girl.
Garry Christiansen, who was a Constable with the St. Thomas Police Service when his crime was committed, was sentenced Friday to thirty months in federal custody and three years probation. Christiansen had pleaded guilty in June to one count of sexual interference.
That charge, along with charges of sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation, and assault, was laid against him in October of 2017 after a probe by the Special Investigations Unit. The investigation was launched the month before when the St. Thomas Police Service received a complaint of a “sexual nature” against the then Constable. The incidents were alleged to have taken place between January 2016 and January 2017 and involved an underage girl.
Christiansen, who had been with the St. Thomas Police Service since 1990, was placed on suspension when the charges were laid. He resigned from the service a day before entering his guilty plea.
"This sentence clearly demonstrates that every person, regardless of their position or profession in the community will be held accountable for criminal actions," Police Chief Chris Herridge said in a statement released Friday. "Our thoughts have been with the victim and her family throughout this long and arduous judicial process."
Herridge's statement said the St. Thomas Police Service understands the negative perception this incident may have created. He added that it is "disheartening for our members and we want to assure the community that this is not a reflection of the men and women of the St. Thomas Police Service who work so hard every day to uphold the law and keep our community safe."
