EDMONTON — A judge sentenced an Edmonton police officer to six months jail Friday for making sexual advances toward eight vulnerable women he met on the job.
Const. Hunter Robinz showed no reaction when Court of King's Bench Justice Susan Bercov handed him the sentence. She also imposed two years of probation upon his release.
The Crown had asked for two to three years in prison, while the defence suggested a two-year conditional sentence Robinz could serve in the community.
"In my view, this is a sentence that properly balances the objectives of denunciation and deterrence," Bercov said.
Robinz, 39, pleaded guilty last year to breach of trust for pursuing victims of crime he met on duty. He initially faced other charges of unauthorized use of a computer database and sexual assault.
Court heard that Robinz, a former soldier, met the women between March 2017 and June 2019.
The judge said each offence began with a phone call to police that sought help for the women, who were deemed vulnerable for reasons ranging from mental health to domestic violence.
Robinz responded and communicated with the women, sending them unsolicited and often sexually explicit text messages.
An agreed statement of facts says in one instance Robinz was called to a public park for an intoxicated woman in distress. He and his police partner met the woman's roommate and got a key to bring her home.
"Instead of returning the key to her roommate after he left, Mr. Robinz returned to her home and let himself in," the judge said. "He kissed her several times. She kept pushing him away. He would not let her alone."
The woman told court Robinz ignored his police radio during the almost two-hour encounter.
"Mr. Robinz used the vulnerability of these women to initiate sexual relations for his own sexual gratification," said Bercov.
Court heard Robinz, originally from Ottawa, joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2006 and saw combat in Afghanistan, which led him to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. He left the military in 2013 and became a police officer in 2015.
Defence lawyer Allan Fay said the officer's actions were a result of the disorder. A psychiatrist's report also said the officer's overconsumption of alcohol and increased sexual activity was his way of managing the illness.
Victim impact statements submitted by the women outlined their feelings of fear, hurt and distress.
"I applaud the courage of the women who came forward to report the offences, who were willing to testify and who provided victim impact statements," Bercov said. "Their gracious actions prevented other women from being victimized.”
Before the judge delivered the sentence, Robinz stood and apologized for his “unacceptable” behaviour. He later hugged a woman weeping in the gallery.
Upon his release from jail, Robinz is not to have contact with the victims and must submit a DNA sample. He is also ordered not to frequent liquor stores, bars or other places that sell alcohol and is to seek treatment for alcohol addiction.
Robinz has been on unpaid suspension from the police force since 2021. He has a previous conviction for unsafe storage of his work-issued rifle and ammunition.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
