According to Stats Canada, 35 of the sexual assault cases that were reported to Kelowna RCMP last year were dismissed as unfounded, or nearly 40 per cent.
“The West Kelowna case is I think a symptom of what is a pretty large disease of myths and problematic investigations with the RCMP in Kelowna”-Angela Marie MacDougall
Roughly 95% of survivors of sexual assault choose not to report to police, often because they believe it is unlikely that their report would lead to a conviction or other consequences for the perpetrator. Indeed, the attrition of sexual assault cases at every stage of the criminal justice system is well documented. Of the assaults reported to police between 2009 and 2014, 43% resulted in criminal charges being laid; of these, 49% went to court; of which 55% led to a conviction; of which 56% were sentenced to custody. All told, just 11% of sexual assaults reported to police during that five-year period ultimately led to a conviction, and just 6.5% resulted in a prison sentence, with many cases dropping off at every step along the way. Of those cases that made it to trial in 2015-2016, 45% had the charges stayed or withdrawn; 44% resulted in a conviction; 9% resulted in an acquittal; and 2% had other decisions entered. Just over half of individuals found guilty of sexual assault that year received a prison sentence.
