Women allege sexual assault because consent obtained through 'fraudulent misrepresentations' of identity, occupation, marital status
Two women are suing former Regina police sergeant Robert Semenchuck, who used an internal police database to obtain their contact information and then pursued intimate relationships with them while concealing he was a cop.
Bridgette Cyr and Kerry Benjoe filed civil lawsuits against Semenchuck in Regina Court of King's Bench on May 26 and June 25, respectively, alleging sexual assault, misfeasance in public office, breach of privacy, negligence and breach of trust, according to CBC News.
Semenchuck pleaded guilty to criminal charges of breach of trust and unlawful use of a computer in November 2025. In February 2026, he received a conditional sentence of two years less a day, to be served in the community, followed by three years of probation.
"His conduct … was illegal and immoral," Judge Marylynne Beaton told court at sentencing, Global News reported.
Semenchuck is no longer with the Regina Police Service, where he had served for 22 years, according to CTV News.
The criminal case
According to the agreed statement of facts from his criminal case, Semenchuck accessed the private information of 33 women in an internal police database and used that knowledge to try to form intimate relationships with them. The Crown said he engaged in intimate relationships with in excess of 10 women between February 2015 and April 2023, CTV News reported.
His method was consistent: he would contact women by text with a message appearing to be intended for someone else, then "slowly" build trust after they replied to say he had the wrong number. He lied about his name and occupation during these conversations, concealing that he was a police officer.
Investigators found that some relationships were developed and maintained while Semenchuck was on duty, using Regina Police Service fleet vehicles and a work-issued cell phone. In some cases, victims were experiencing personal difficulties — information Semenchuck would have been able to determine from his improper use of the RPS database.
The police service was first made aware of complaints in early 2023 after a member of the public came forward. Semenchuck was suspended immediately and blocked from accessing police databases. He was formally charged in March 2025, CTV News reported.
Seventeen victim impact statements were submitted at the sentencing hearing, including nine women who read theirs aloud.
Given the opportunity to speak, Semenchuck kept his remarks brief. "To everyone that was affected by this, I am truly sorry," he said.
Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Chief Eric Stubbs has warned officers to "change your behaviour or quit" amid a pattern of sexual misconduct.
The civil lawsuits
Returning to CBC News's reporting, both women say Semenchuck "developed and maintained a deceptive relationship" with them "for his own personal and sexual gratification," and did so while on duty "using police-issued resources — including his work cellphone, computer and fleet vehicle."
Cyr and Benjoe allege they were sexually assaulted because their consent was obtained only through Semenchuck's "fraudulent misrepresentations regarding his identity, occupation, marital status and the nature of his interest" in them.
They argue the deception, his abuse of his position, exploitation of confidential information and "significant imbalance of power and authority" invalidates any apparent consent, says CBC News.
According to Cyr's statement of claim, Semenchuck first contacted her in December 2022 while she was undergoing cancer treatment, identifying himself as "Steve Perkins," a divorced construction consultant.
From his database access, Semenchuck would have known Benjoe had been abused and recently reported her former common-law partner to police for assault, says CBC News. "For 44 months after the defendant first targeted and contacted the plaintiff, the defendant maintained this fraudulent identity with the plaintiff, engaged in multiple sexual activities with her," the claim states.
Both women say Semenchuck's actions have caused them "severe emotional distress," a "profound loss of trust in authority" and "a fundamental alteration" of their personalities, transforming them into "someone guarded, suspicious and fearful."
They report insomnia, panic episodes and depression. Benjoe's claim also states her ability to work was affected and she lost employment opportunities. Cyr says she left Regina — "her home for 20 years and the centre of her medical care, emotional and support network" — and relocated hundreds of kilometres away out of fear that Semenchuck or others acting on his behalf might retaliate against her for co-operating in the investigation.
Semenchuck's defence
Semenchuck specifically denies the women's allegations of sexual assault in statements of defence filed July 10 against Cyr's lawsuit and July 24 against Benjoe's, alleging consent was "freely and voluntarily given."
"A deception as to a party's name, occupation or personal circumstances does not, at law, vitiate consent to sexual contact," his statements of defence said. He also denied that his position as a police officer, "his access to information, or any imbalance between the parties" invalidates consent.
He also argued the women's civil claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations that has already expired, and requested that both claims be dismissed with costs.
The women's lawyer, Maurice Laprairie, said both clients are "incredibly unsatisfied" with the criminal process and question why sexual assault charges were never laid. "They don't feel like they got any justice in the provincial court," he said.
