Defense counsel for ex-military leader Haydn Edmundson cross-examines complainant – Winnipeg Free Press

OTTAWA — The woman who accused former Vice Admiral Haydn Edmundson of raping her on a navy ship spent three days on the stand detailing what she remembers about the events that took place more than 30 years ago.

Defense attorney Brian Greenspan began cross-examining Corona's key witness Monday evening.

He drew attention to comparisons of what he said during his court testimony with previous statements he made to police, the media and a class-action lawsuit filed by military personnel who were sexually assaulted during their careers.

On Wednesday, he admitted that his memory is not perfect.

“When you put this trauma in storage for over 30 years, it's a difficult process to put the pieces back together after 30 years,” he said.

Edmundson was a senior commander and the appellant, who is protected by an identity ban, was a junior when he was deployed together in 1991.

He said on Monday that he was sometimes assigned to wake her up for the night watch and that one night he was furious after seeing her naked and fully exposed.

She told the court that a couple of days later he called her into her bedroom to tell her about the incident and raped her.

Edmundson resigned as military chief in 2021 after the allegations emerged. He has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and indecent exposure and denies any wrongdoing.

In historical sexual abuse cases, there is often little or no physical evidence, and the reliability of eyewitness accounts is often considered a major issue.

Greenspan worked to find inconsistencies in the woman's story and on Wednesday offered a possible explanation for what he called Edmundson's misconduct aboard the ship.

He said Edmundson's behavior changed during the deployment.

It takes longer than usual to wake him up, she said, and sometimes he makes grunting sounds that make him believe he's sleeping. He said that sometimes she doesn't wear underwear and he sees parts of her body.

Greenspan noted that he injured his shoulder during the deployment and wore a sling on his left arm for a month. During that time, Edmundson said he took pain medication.

The woman said that while she did not remember Edmundson being injured or wearing a sling, she may have had trouble waking him and made moaning noises.

Greenspan said his client could not sleep on his stomach or left side during that time, contrary to the woman's testimony that she found him naked on his stomach.

“I disagree with your suggestion that it is impossible,” he said. “The only thing I know is what I've witnessed and experienced.”

The testimony was emotional at times.

On Wednesday morning, Greenspan raised his voice and pointed the finger at the woman during a question.

He said he would not tolerate microaggressions and asked the judge to intervene. Judge Matthew Webber asked Greenspan to lower the temperature and not point at him.

Greenspan's survey includes details about timelines, the layout of the ship, and Edmundson's sleeping quarters.

On Wednesday, he pointed to the woman's shifting recollection of sleeping on the top bunk the night she said she found Edmundson naked and exposed, apparently asleep.

She said she turned on the light and screamed to wake up the person in the top bunk, saying she was “distraught”.

He tried to identify that other officer during a police investigation in 2021, but police discovered he was wrong.

Greenspan said his client did not have a partner at the time. The woman demanded what he said on the stand.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 7, 2024.