The police officer who sought ‘sexual satisfaction’ from the victims he met on duty is awaiting sentencing

An Edmonton police officer has admitted using his position of power to prey on women he met on duty for his “own sexual gratification.”

Edmonton Police Service Construction Hunter Robinz pleaded guilty to one count of breach of trust in the Court of King’s Bench on Oct. 21. He is awaiting sentencing and will appear in court again on Friday.

Robinz admitted to multiple breaches of trust during on-duty conversations with eight women from March 2017 to June 2019.

The court heard he displayed a pattern of predatory behaviour, meaning he repeatedly made inappropriate sexual advances towards crime victims or complainants he met through his work.

The agreed statement of facts submitted to the court details the abuse Robinz committed against eight victims. Their names are protected by a publication ban.

The charges were laid by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which began investigating the sexual assault accusation against Robinz in August 2019.

He was arrested in 2021 after a watchdog investigation found evidence of multiple breaches of trust, including repeated searches of secure policing databases for names and addresses unrelated to his duties as a police officer.

Three other charges against Robinz – sexual assault, unauthorized use of a computer database and second breach of trust – were stayed by the Crown.

an unwelcome encounter

The investigation began in August 2019 after Robinz and a 24-year-old woman encountered him, who claimed Robinz had attacked her after entering her home uninvited while he was in uniform and on duty.

The unwelcome sexual advances took place on the night of June 29, 2019.

The woman was drunk and in distress when she called police from a public park after a night out at the bar.

Robinz and another officer responded to the call and drove her home, stopping along the way to collect the keys to the woman’s Edmonton apartment from her roommates, who were working a shift at a McDonald’s restaurant.

Robinz returned to the woman’s home later that evening and used his roommate’s keys to enter the apartment. The woman recalled crying as Robinz put his hands on her hips and tried to kiss her.

He kissed her several times as she pushed him away and screamed. She finally let him go upstairs to use the restroom and when he came out he was halfway up the stairs.

He tried to kiss her again and she asked if he needed permission to be at his house. The woman told him ‘no’ and he had to push her away once again, the court heard. She begged him to leave and asked him to leave more than 20 times before he finally left.

“‘She stated that she felt lucky she wasn’t drunk because she was able to say ‘no’ and push him away and eventually leave,” the agreed statement of facts said.

Early the next morning, the woman received a series of sexually explicit text messages on social media via Robinz’s Facebook account, Ranger Sparrow.

She reported the attack to ASIRT the following month, and the agency’s investigation into Robinz began. Robinz was moved from patrol duty to administrative duties.

His phone belonging to the police was confiscated. Investigators uncovered a series of messages that revealed Robinz was seeking sexual intercourse with multiple crime victims.

In March 2017, he sent explicit text messages to the sister of a woman he had called for help after she became suicidal.

In May 2018, he was called to assist a woman in response to a suspicious person in her backyard. She reported Robinz to the EPS Public Standards Branch days later for sending her an unsolicited and inappropriate text message.

The woman was concerned that Robinz had contacted her via the social media platform Snapchat in a way that implied he had access to her personal information.

In October 2018, Robinz responded to a domestic violence call about a man violating court orders and contacting his ex-partner. Robinz soon became involved with the domestic violence victim.

The woman told investigators about her relationship with Robinz after her ex-boyfriend broke court orders again and sexually assaulted her.

The EPS Professional Standards Branch investigated the relationship but on the accepted facts Robinz lied about meeting the woman in his capacity as a police officer.

Other victims include the attempted break-in victim and a domestic violence victim who was assaulted at the Edmonton Inn. After calling the police for help, Robinz was appointed lead investigator on the case.

All crimes occurred while Robinz was on active duty.

Robinz admitted that he used his position in public office mainly for his own sexual gratification and not for the public good.– Statement of agreed facts

“Robinz admitted that he used his position in public office for a purpose other than the public interest, primarily for his own sexual gratification,” the agreed statement of facts reads.

Staff Sgt., who appeared in court last week. Harry Grewal, head of EPS’s sexual assault division, commented on the impact of Robinz’s misconduct.

Grewal called Robinz’s actions horrific. He said the officer’s behavior had a profound impact on the victims and undermined public confidence in the police.

Robinz victimized people who were already vulnerable and undermined trust in law enforcement, Grewal wrote.

“Every day, our officers encounter people at the worst moments of their lives. All of them are vulnerable, some significantly so,” Grewal wrote.

“The trust that society shows in us in these moments is very important, and so we must be determined to honor that trust.”

Robinz remains an EPS member but has been suspended without pay since March 2021 by Parkland RCMP on charges of assault and unsafe storage of a firearm during an alleged assault on his common-law wife.

He was convicted of careless handling or storage of a firearm for hiding a carbine rifle and two magazines containing live ammunition in an unlocked box in his bedroom closet, but was acquitted of assault.

The maximum penalty for breach of trust is 14 years in prison. Sentencing talks are expected to continue on Friday.