Judge clears Newfland attorney on sexual assault, interference charges

SF. JOHN’S, NL — A judge has dismissed all sexual misconduct charges against a Newfoundland lawyer, saying inconsistencies and repeated falsehoods in the plaintiff’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 courtroom in St. John, carefully laying out his reasoning for dismissing each of the five charges against Robert Regular: four of sexual assault and one of sexual interference.

In each case, Khaladkar pointed to evidence and testimony from other witnesses he considered credible that contradicted the plaintiff’s testimony.

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

Regular unsuccessfully sought a publication ban that would have prohibited the publication of any details that identified him in connection with the case.

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

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

The Canadian Press