A Nova Scotia woman who reported a sexual assault “was treated without respect or care” by the RCMP, according to a report by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) for the RCMP.
The woman, Susan “Susie” Butlin, was murdered six weeks later by the man who assaulted her.
According to the report, Butlin had lived next door to Ernie Ross “Junior” Duggan and his spouse in Bayhead, N.S., for nearly two decades.
Butlin called 911 in August 2017 to report that Duggan had sexually assaulted her. The CRCC says Bible Hill RCMP took a statement, but didn’t charge Duggan, as they believed her complaint was “unfounded.”
The report found Butlin and others contacted the RCMP to express concerns about the escalating situation with Duggan, but nothing happened.
In 2022, the CRCC launched an investigation into the RCMP’s response to complaints and concerns Butlin reported in the weeks before her murder.
The CRCC also reviewed the RCMP’s processes for sexual assault investigations.
‘Serious deficiencies’ in handling of case: report
The commission, which released its report Thursday, says there were “serious deficiencies in the handling of nearly every aspect of Ms. Butlin’s case.”
The CRCC has made 72 findings, which include:
- The Bible Hill RCMP’s investigation into Butlin’s sexual assault complaint against her neighbour was “seriously inadequate” and members “did not take reasonable steps to keep” her safe. She was “treated without respect or care,” it adds.
- The RCMP failed to properly investigate or document reports that Butlin was being threatened or intimated by her neighbour, which it says would have enabled members to identify “the escalating risks to Ms. Butlin’s safety.”
- The RCMP members who investigated Butlin’s complaint “relied on harmful myths and stereotypes about sexual assault.”
- The RCMP has not done enough to address the “high rate of sexual assault complaints it dismissed as unfounded” in some jurisdictions, including the Bible Hill detachment.
The CRCC also looked into Butlin’s application for a peace bond against her neighbour.
The commission says the judge who reviewed her application had asked the RCMP to conduct a review of Butlin’s file. However, “instead of addressing deficiencies, reviewers perpetuated the original errors, questioned Ms. Butlin’s credibility, and suggested she could be charged with public mischief if she misled police.”
Recommendations
The CRCC has made 79 recommendations based on its findings, which include that the RCMP:
- create specialized units in every division to handle and oversee sexual assault cases and require all such cases to be referred to them;
- bolster the existing processes for external reviews of sexual assault files;
- provide operational guidance to the members and supervisors involved in investigating Butlin’s complaint, including operational guidance related to:
- the law of sexual assault and consent and the dangers of relying on myths and stereotypes in sexual assault investigations; and
- the importance of respectful, trauma-informed communication with complainants, victim support obligations, and referrals to victim services;
- review all past sexual assault investigations conducted by the member who took Butlin’s complaint and ensure he is not permitted to investigate sexual assault complaints until he has received all of the recommended operational guidance.
- require training for all members who respond to or investigate sexual assault cases.
- update policies to better support victims, prioritize their safety, and use a trauma‑informed approach; and
- measure and publicly report on whether improvements are being achieved.
The CRCC says the RCMP commissioner has agreed with most of the findings and recommendations and has committed to creating specialized sexual assault units and making changes to improve sexual assault investigations.
Nova Scotia RCMP Assistant Commissioner Dan Morrow said they have “basically implemented” all of the recommendations in the province.
Butlin was murdered after complaints
The RCMP responded to a 911 call at Butlin’s home on Clarks Road in Bayhead, N.S., shortly before 12 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2017. They found the body of 58-year-old Butlin inside.
The suspect fled the scene in his vehicle and officers followed him to a cemetery along Highway 6 in nearby Tatamagouche, N.S.
At the time, police said the man was injured when he exchanged gunfire with the officers. He was taken to hospital but recovered.
Ernie Ross “Junior” Duggan of Bayhead, N.S., was charged with first-degree murder in Butlin’s death. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder in June 2019.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless discharge of a firearm and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose in connection with the standoff with police in Tatamagouche.
Duggan was sentenced in 2019 to life in prison without a chance of parole for 20 years.
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