Victims call for harsher punishment of police officers who violate privacy
Victims call for harsher punishment of police officers who violate privacy
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/harass-police-privacy-breach-9.7212697
Publish Date: 2026-05-26 15:08:00
Source Domain: www.cbc.ca
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Regina police officers who access private information to stalk, harass and pursue romantic relationships should face job loss and criminal breach of trust charges, according to some victims.
“When a police officer breaches someone’s privacy for their own personal gain … there should be something so severe that they’re not going to do it again,” said Kerry Benjoe, who was preyed upon by a now-former Regina officer.
“Just giving them a one-day suspension, that’s not going to do anything.”
Benjoe was one of about 20 people gathered outside Regina police headquarters on Tuesday before a board of police commissioners meeting where members of the group spoke, demanding tougher consequences for officers who abuse their access to data.
In 2018, Benjoe was isolated in a shelter with her children after leaving a severely abusive relationship.
During that time she received a seemingly random “wrong number” text from a man calling himself Jay Lewis. He pursued a relationship with her that was at times romantic, but mostly a supportive friendship during a tumultuous time.
Several years into the friendship, she discovered that Lewis was actually Regina police Sgt. Robert Semenchuk.
He had used information contained in her domestic abuse police file to contact her and pursue a relationship.
Benjoe’s discovery led to an investigation that found Semenchuk had used the police database to target 33 women under false pretenses.
He eventually pleaded guilty to one count each of breach of trust and unlawful use of a computer and received a two year-conditional sentence followed by three years of probation.
He resigned from the police force when charges were laid.
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