Kelowna Mountie was 'in a very dark place' when sexting domestic abuse victim

A Kelowna RCMP officer who sent nude photos of himself to the victim of a domestic abuse case he was investigating was suicidal at the time, a Kelowna court heard yesterday, March 25. Former Mountie Sean Eckland said at his sentencing for obstructing the justice system he was in a "very dark place" and "extremely suicidal". "I was in a position of authority and power. I allowed myself to give in to selfish and immature desires, and undoubtedly have caused the (victim's) family to lose faith in police officers and other people who hold positions of authority," Const. Eckland told the court. "I would do anything to take back what I have done, and I am not looking for forgiveness, but I do hope in time that (the victim) and her family can understand how truly sorry I really am. I also want to apologize to the general public." Eckland's story dates back to 2018 when the Kelowna Mountie was the lead investigator in a domestic abuse case. Lake Country resident Lonnie Noel Smith was accused of brutally beating his girlfriend multiple times throughout a night of cocaine and alcohol abuse. He broke her nose and kicked her and choked her until she was unconscious. She spent eight days in hospital following the attack. As the lead investigator, Eckland was in contact with the victim and in the summer of 2018 began sexting her. She sent him nude photos and he sent her a picture of his penis. The married officer with two children then told the victim to delete the photos. "Constable Eckland did not disclose to the Crown nor his superiors that he was engaged in any kind of personal communication or text messaging with (the victim), and he made no notes of these communications or his contact with her in his police notebooks," Crown prosecutor Jessica Saris told the court. Facing charges of sexual assault and aggravated assault, Smith found out about the sexting and tried to use the relationship between the Mountie and his girlfriend to pressure her to change her testimony at trial. "Sean's wife and kids won't want to know what you guys have texted about over the past year, and the court won't like it either," one text message read. Smith then withdrew his previous guilty pleas. The victim's mom contacted police saying Smith was blackmailing her daughter, which led to a witness tampering investigation. "Last thing I wanted was for this to affect the trial, but sounds like it did," Const. Eckland texted the victim. The sexting went on for more than a year, and in late 2019 Global News contacted the Kelowna RCMP saying they had copies of the messages and were going to run a story. It was only then that Eckland told his superiors what was going on https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kelowna-mountie-suspended-as-sexting-scandal-investigated/it68597 . He was then suspended with pay https://infotel.ca/newsitem/sexting-kelowna-mountie-paid-more-than-500000-while-suspended/it107111 . A year later he was charged with obstructing the course of justice https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kelowna-rcmp-officer-charged-with-obstructing-justice/it89461 by counselling the victim to destroy relevant evidence. In the meantime, Smith pleaded guilty to the more minor of his charges and was sentenced to two and a half years in jail. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/lake-country-man-sentenced-for-coke-and-booze-fuelled-violent-attack-on-partner/it78637 Eckland didn't fight the charges and pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by failing to disclose relevant evidence. The Crown argued he should spend between three and six months under house arrest, while defence lawyer John Benkendorf wanted the Mountie to get a conditional discharge, meaning he wouldn't get a criminal record providing he doesn't breach his probation. BC Provincial Court Judge Clarke Burnett questioned how Eckland's actions affected the domestic assault case. "I don't for a moment suggest that what he did was not wrong or criminal in nature, but you have to put the full picture around it so that it's put into some form of context," Judge Burnett said. The judge said Eckland hadn't told the victim to embellish evidence in court or anything along those lines and pointed to texts that showed Eckland asked for the texts to be deleted because he didn't want to lose his wife and family and his job. "It is a serious offence which strikes at the heart and integrity of the justice system which is especially true in the offence committed by persons who themselves are members of that justice system because such a crime seriously undermines public confidence in the police," the Crown prosecutor replied. Eckland resigned from the RCMP last year, after almost five years on unpaid leave. He had been scheduled for an internal RCMP conduct review hearing. The court heard how Eckland never met the victim after the two began sexting each other. He made lots of excuses never to meet her. A psychological report found he suffered from PTSD and major depressive disorder which were pivotal in understanding his behaviour and motivation. "These reports paint a picture of a very broken and profoundly vulnerable individual," his defence lawyer John Benkendorf said. The defence lawyer said Eckland was suicidal at the time and regularly went to work hoping he would be killed. One psychologist report said that the sexting gave him "temporary emotional support and validation" to alleviate his feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. "I was in a very dark place in my life, not to make any excuses, but the fact is that I was extremely suicidal while working," Eckland told the court. "(I) would often hope to die while on duty so that my family would be taken care of financially. I hated a lot of people. I faked my way through days, not caring if I died in my sleep or if I was killed by someone on duty. I stayed alive for my kids, despite knowing that at the time, I was not a good dad." The court heard how his wife has stuck with him, and now aged 50, he has had to make a new life for himself. "I never intended to obstruct justice, but take responsibility that I did. Thank you, your honour for allowing me to speak. I respect whatever decision you impose," he said. Judge Burnett adjourned the proceeding, leaving Eckland with a couple more months before finding out what the judge's decision will be. To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer mailto:bbulmer@infonews.ca  or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. 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