Caught in a nightmare

A woman who had a relationship with a former social worker at the centre of numerous lawsuits is speaking out exclusively to Castanet and says she wants to move past the "nightmare."

"It’s like a bad dream ... it is literally like something out of a movie,” she says. “It doesn’t seem real.”

The Kelowna woman, who we’ve agreed not to name, says she dated Robert Riley Saunders for almost four years between 2014 and 2017. 

New bombshell details uncovered last week allege that the government social worker, who is also alleged to have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from vulnerable aboriginal youth in his care, also lied about his qualifications and education to get the job. 

A resume and degree state Saunders graduated from the University of Manitoba with a bachelors degree in social work in 1994 and a bachelor of arts in psychology in 1992. But officials at the university say no one under that name has ever graduated from the institution. 

“With this latest bombshell, it seems like this is something that isn’t going away,” says his ex. “I wasn’t ever planning to speak to the media, but unfortunately I am caught in the middle of this all.”

Court documents state Saunders was staying at the woman’s home, but she says he has never lived there and she hasn’t spoken to him in months. 

“He doesn’t live here. I had no knowledge about this … I would never have been involved with someone who would do this,” she says. “It’s a shock to me as much as everyone else.”

She described him as charming during their time dating, a role model to her children, and that there were no signs he could have been stealing money or living a lie.

“You think you know somebody, and you don’t. You think you have this perfect relationship and man, and then all this comes to light … it is heartbreaking on all levels.” 

Her biggest concern now is protecting her children.

“I don’t want to be in the middle of this anymore ... I need to move forward with my life.”

Saunders' whereabouts are unknown, and multiple attempts by Castanet to speak with him have been ignored. A source claiming to be close to Saunders believes he left Kelowna and is staying in Calgary, but this hasn't been confirmed. 

Kelowna RCMP say it could be months before charges are considered.

"Given the complexity of the case, it is certainly possible that the investigation could take several more months to reach the stage of forwarding the findings to the BC Prosecution Service for charge considerations," said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.

Saunders' resume states he worked for the Ministry of Children and Families from November 1996. It also states he was the acting district supervisor for the Ministry of Children and Families.

His resume also boasts about “providing approval for spending based on child and program needs within budget” and “assessing current and future risk to children and developing plans to ensure safety.” 

His ex-girlfriend says she doesn’t believe Saunders is an evil person.

“I think he obviously has some serious demons,” she said. 

B.C.'s Representative for Children and Youth, Jennifer Charlesworth, said her office believes more than 45 youths may have been victimized by Saunders, though none of the allegations has been proven in court. 

Since the new allegations of fraud, the ministry says it will be working with the Public Service Agency to develop a new screening guide for child protection workers.