WARNING: This story contains disturbing details.
A senior Vancouver police officer who spoke with Const. Nicole Chan, in her final hours, testified Monday that Chan was deeply disappointed by the outcome of her complaints alleging sexual abuse and coercion by a superior.
Supt. Shelley Horne took the stand on the first day of the coroner’s inquest into Chan’s Jan. 27, 2019, suicide death and described two meetings she had with a junior officer in her human resources role at the Vancouver Police Department.
The first time Horne met Chan was in October 2017, when Chan reported allegations of sexual misconduct by then-Sergeant David Van Patten. The two had previously been in a consensual relationship, Horne said.
“There were concerns that she had expressed that she had been manipulated or coerced into having sex with him,” Horne told the jury.
Chan alleged that Van Patten found intimate images and texts related to her on another officer’s phone and threatened to share them with her then-husband and the other officer’s wife, and told her she should have sex with him.
Chan said she felt “disgusted” by the prospect but submitted to the sex because she didn’t believe she had any other option, Horne testified.
“She indicated to me that she never wanted to have sex with him after that night, but that she continued to have sex with him,” Horn said.
These allegations led to a criminal investigation into potential sexual assault and extortion charges by the New Westminster Police Department. A report was sent to Crown Prosecution Service but charges were not upheld, the inquest heard.
“She felt it was unfair”
Horne testified that the next time she met Chan was on the night of January 26, 2019, at Vancouver General Hospital after Chan was detained under the Mental Health Act.
Horne described Chan as calm and articulate, but frustrated by the investigation into Van Patten’s actions under the Police Act.
“She thought it was unfair that she couldn’t work, and Dave Van Patten kept his job,” Horn said.
The hospital eventually decided to release Chan that night, and Horne and another police officer dropped her off at home after midnight, the jury heard.
Horn said he planned to meet with Chan again the next morning. Instead, she receives a call informing her that Chan committed suicide at the age of 30.
Van Patten was fired by the VPD after an investigation overseen by the Office of the Police Commissioner into complaints proven three counts of defamatory conductfinding that Van Patten had an inappropriate relationship with Chan while also serving as a human resources officer.
A second officer, former Sergeant Greg McCullough, was also disciplined for failing to disclose an intimate relationship with Nicole Chan, who was under his direct supervision.
At least two Vancouver police officers have been accused of having inappropriate sexual relations with Const. Nicole Chan before her death in 2019 (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)
The inquest began Monday morning with testimony from Chan’s older sister, Jennifer Chan, who said becoming a police officer was Nicole Chan’s lifelong dream.
“She wanted to do right in the world,” Jennifer Chan said of her sister.
But in the last months of her life, Nicole Chan did not work and became depressed.
Jennifer Chan described her younger sibling’s outlook on life at the moment as a “roller coaster” as she pondered whether she still had a future with the Vancouver Police Department.
“There were times when he felt like he could go back,” Jennifer Chan said.
“There were definitely times when she felt like she had nowhere to go. . . . Towards the end, she felt more hopeless.”
“Flashbacks of Compulsion”
During her testimony, Jennifer Chan summarized a victim impact statement her sister completed about her experiences with Van Patten.
“She felt insecure going into people’s homes,” Jennifer Chan told the jury as she read the statement.
“She believes it stems from the sexual abuse in David’s flat. … She continues to have flashbacks of the compulsion.”
Two officers who worked in human resources with the VPD also testified about Nicole Chan’s police career on Monday.
The jury heard that Chan had experienced previous suicide attempts and had been placed on leave in the past after expressing suicidal thoughts to a supervisor.
At the same time, evidence was presented that in her most recent performance evaluations, Chan was rated as exceeding expectations and had met all the requirements for gradual promotion to first class constable.
The inquest continues on Tuesday and is expected to last six days. Van Patten and McCullough are not scheduled to testify.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:
This guide from Center for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you are worried about.
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