Lawyer charged with abuse can keep practising

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This article was published 07/09/2021 (1206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg lawyer who has been charged with sexually abusing two teenage hockey players nearly 30 years ago can continue to practise law.

Robert Dawson, 57, is accused of repeatedly abusing the boys between 1993 and 1995 while a coach with the Assiniboine Park Hockey Association. He was charged last week.

“It is still under consideration… at this point he is still allowed to practise,” said Leah Kosokowsky, chief executive officer for the Law Society of Manitoba.

Dawson, a University of Oxford graduate, according to his law firm’s website, was called to the bar in 1991, and practises in the area of civil litigation and administrative law. He has taught legal ethics at the University of Manitoba and was an adjudicator with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission.

Dawson is charged with two counts each of sexual interference, sexual exploitation, sexual assault, forcible confinement, and making, printing, publishing child pornography or possessing it for the purpose of publication, and other offences.

“You don’t go straight to suspension at this stage,” Kosokowsky said. “The test is what is necessary to protect the public.

“We are looking at everything closely and will do everything to protect the public while respecting the fact he has just been charged and not convicted of anything,” she said.

One option is to put restrictions on Dawson’s practice, such as working under the supervision of another attorney, Kosokowsky said.

“Some that we would contemplate are already conditions of his release,” she said, including a bail requirement that Dawson not provide legal advice to anyone under anyone 18 and not be in a position of trust for anyone under 18.

Under the terms of his bail, Dawson is allowed to use a computer or the internet only for work purposes, medical emergencies or to communicate with his lawyer. He is not allowed to use a camera or any other device capable of capturing images and he is prohibited from possessing any BDSM equipment.

Dawson is prohibited from communicating with anyone associated with the Assiniboine Park Rangers hockey team.

In a news release posted online, the team said it had only recently become aware of the allegations against Dawson.

“The Rangers have been communicating with, and supporting the victims and stakeholders who have reached out to our organization,” the release said.

“As an evolving organization committed to respect and safety, many years ago, the Rangers implemented new policies to help protect players, parents, coaches and volunteers. We believe currently that the organization provides a safe environment for all, and we remain committed to providing that moving forward.”

Dawson’s next court date is Oct. 5.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca