South Surrey border guard appeals sex-assault conviction
The appeal of a former South Surrey border guard who was convicted last year of sexual assault and breach of trust will be heard tomorrow (Wednesday) in B.C. Court of Appeal in Vancouver.
Daniel Johnson Greenhalgh, who worked at the Douglas (Peace Arch) border, was sentenced a year ago to two years in jail less a day, after he was found guilty the previous fall of three counts of sexual assault and one count of breach of public trust.
The convictions followed a five-week jury trial in New Westminster in which three women testified Greenhalgh touched them inappropriately during strip-searches he conducted on his own in areas including a men’s public washroom. A fourth woman said she was made to strip, but was not touched.
The incidents occurred in 2007 while Greenhalgh was on duty, and involved victims aged 19 to 30.
Throughout the trial, Greenhalgh maintained his innocence. His lawyers at the time described the penalty – which also included three years probation, a 10-year firearms prohibition, a $400 victim surcharge and an order to provide a DNA sample – as “stiff” and said Greenhalgh would appeal.
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