A former Canadian general who reportedly went to Ukraine to fight Russian invaders has been charged with sexual assault at home in Canada after months of investigation.
Retired Lt. Gen. Trevor Cadillo faces two counts of sexual assault in connection with alleged incidents at the Royal Canadian Military College in Kingston, Ontario, in 1994 when he was a cadet, a statement from the Canadian Forces Vice Chancellor’s Office said.
The case will now be handed over to civilian prosecutors in line with the latest recommendations to help clean up the toxic culture in the Canadian military.
Cadillo was appointed to lead the Canadian Army last September, but his appointment was thwarted by a sexual assault investigation.
According to Canadian media, he is accused of raping a college student. He had previously denied having committed any wrongdoing.
He retires in April.
The Ottawa citizen said Kadio said in an email from Ukraine that he had been informed of the allegations and was “arranging to return to Canada from Ukraine.”
Louise Arbor, a former prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal and a retired Supreme Court judge, criticized military action over sexual violence in a report last month.
Her review came after another working group in 2015 found that the military had “an environment that is hostile to women … and conducive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault.”
In April 2021, the military reported 581 sexual assaults and 221 cases of sexual harassment to the House of Commons since 2015.
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