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Rally at police HQ

Demonstrators will rally at police headquarters in St. John's today following a weekend of outrage after a Newfoundland officer was acquitted of sexual assault.

A jury Friday found Const. Doug Snelgrove not guilty after he drove an intoxicated woman home from the bar district while on duty and had sex with her in 2014.

The Crown argued the 10-year veteran of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary took advantage of a vulnerable woman, but the case turned on consent.

Snelgrove's lawyer suggested the jury must have had reasonable doubt about whether she consented or Snelgrove believed she had.

About 70 people protested outside the courthouse Friday night, and graffiti appeared over the weekend attacking Snelgrove and the force.

Lawyer Allison Conway says she understands the anger and that people may want the law to better reflect a moral standard of consent.

However, she says the law as it stands allows that someone who was drunk or can't remember may still have consented.

Snelgrove has been suspended without pay since July 2015 and still faces a disciplinary process, which could include dismissal.



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