Judge acquits Newfoundland lawyer on sexual assault, interference charges

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A judge has dismissed all sexual misconduct charges against a Newfoundland lawyer, saying repeated inconsistencies and falsehoods in the complainant’s accounts eroded her credibility and left him unable to believe her allegations.

Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court Justice Vikas Khaladkar delivered his lengthy verdict in a St. John’s courtroom today, carefully outlining his reasoning for dismissing each of the five charges against Robert Regular: four of sexual assault and one of sexual interference.

In each instance, Khaladkar pointed to evidence and testimony from other witnesses he deemed credible that contradicted the complainant’s testimony.

The 72-year-old accused bowed his head and cried when Khaladkar acquitted him, and he was soon embraced by a succession of supporters, some of whom were also crying.

Regular had unsuccessfully sought a publication ban that would have forbid the publication of any details identifying him in relation to the case.

His lawyer, Jerome Kennedy, told reporters that the verdict vindicated their argument that “an innocent man’s name was going to be dragged through the mud.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2024.

The Canadian Press