Ex-police chief sentenced to 15 months in jail for sexually exploiting teen

BRIDGEWATER, N.S. — A former police chief in Nova Scotia has been sentenced to 15 months in jail and one year of probation after being convicted last October of sexually exploiting a teen with mental health issues.

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Mona Lynch handed down the sentence to John Collyer this morning after a hearing in which the victim described him as a “monster” who had ruined her life.

Collyer’s trial heard he was the head of the Bridgewater Police Service in 2016 when he groomed the 17-year-old girl for a sexual relationship and later assaulted her in his car.

The victim, now 20, cannot be identified.

As she spoke in court, Collyer sat motionless in the front row of the public gallery with his wife of 33 years.

The defence and Crown both recommended a 15-month sentence, and Collyer must submit DNA for the sexual offender registry and is subject to a mandatory weapons prohibition.

The victim addressed Collyer by his first name as she delivered her impact statement.

“John, this was never my fault,” the young woman said in a quiet but clear voice. “I will not let what you did to me bring me down.”

She accused him of lying through his teeth, saying, “I hope you will own up to what you did to me.”

During Collyer’s trial he was described as a “father figure” to the girl, and she said Wednesday she wishes she had stayed away from him.

“People look at me like I’m broken …. You ruined my life,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2020.

The Canadian Press