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Court martial underway for retired CAF member accused of sex crimes in Esquimalt

Seven charges against Colin McGregor include committing, recording sexual assault
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CFB Esquimalt. File photo

A retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces is facing seven charges including sexual assault, voyeurism and disgraceful conduct after recordings of multiple sex crimes were found on electronic devices in his home.

Former Cpl. Colin McGregor is charged under the National Defence Act with one count of sexual assault, two counts of voyeurism, two counts of possession of a device for the purpose of intercepting private communication, one count of disgraceful conduct and one count of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline.

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A court martial began Monday in Victoria and is expected to last “upwards of two weeks,” according to James Vassallo, public affairs officer for CFB Esquimalt.

The charges stem from incidents alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2011 and Jan. 30, 2017 in Victoria, as well as Alexandria, Virginia.

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McGregor was arrested and several electronic devices were seized in February 2017 after Canadian Forces National Investigation Service investigators searched his home in Washington, D.C. He was employed there as a resource management support clerk with Canadian Defence Liaison Staff.

Recordings found on the devices included videos of a sexual assault of a fellow CAF member that occurred in Esquimalt in 2011, as well as recordings of a female CAF member in a bathroom in Alexandria, Virginia between 2016 and 2017.

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According to information received from the Department of National Defence, the investigation began in January 2017 after a recording of a sexual assault was discovered at the private residence of one of the victims.

During the search of McGregor’s Washington, D.C. home, CFNIS investigators seized computers, hard drives, camera equipment and media storage devices, from which it was determined the accused had “willfully intercepted private conversations” in one instance, to “wit a camera alarm clock.”

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McGregor joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a regular force member of the Canadian Army in July 2003 and was based at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, N.B. at the time of his arrest.

He retired from the military in September 2017.

If found guilty, McGregor, who will be represented by a civilian defence lawyer, faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years.

There is currently an application for a publication ban of the court proceedings.

@kristyn_anthony

kristyn.anthony@vicnews.com


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