B.C. Mountie's appeal of sex crime convictions dismissed

Andrew James Seangio of the Richmond RCMP detachment is seen in an undated image.

B.C.'s highest court has dismissed an appeal by an RCMP officer who was found guilty of sex crimes involving teen girls, upholding his conviction.

Andrew Seangio was found guilty of seven counts of wilfully committing an indecent act and three counts of exposing himself to a person under the age of 16 when he was employed as an RCMP officer in Richmond. He was convicted after a trial by jury in 2022 and sentenced to 18 months in jail.

The decision in the appeal was handed down Thursday.

Seangio argued that the judge made four separate errors when instructing the jury but the B.C. Court of Appeal concluded that "the judge made none of the errors alleged."

In 2018 and 2019, Seangio drove up to students from York House School and Little Flower Academy – two private schools in Vancouver's Shaughnessy neighbourhood – then exposed his genitals, masturbated and left the scene, the court heard at trial.

He also exposed himself to two undercover police officers dressed as school girls.

At trial, Seangio was the only witness to testify for the defence, and he denied the allegations, saying that he had "never exposed himself or masturbated in his car," the appeal court noted.

Seangio is also facing three additional charges in B.C. – with the alleged offences occurring when he was on bail for the sex crimes for which he would ultimately be convicted. His trial for one count of impersonating a police officer, one count of assault, and one count of possessing a forged document with the intent to commit an offence is set for September of this year.

He also faces 37 charges related to allegations of sexual assault and voyeurism in Ottawa that predate the Vancouver sex offences.