The Executive Director of the London Abused Women’s Centre says the justice system continues to fail women and girls.
Jennifer Dunn made the comments in the wake of Steve Williams being granted bail on Monday.
Williams is a former London Police officer who faces a long list of criminal charges related to harassing women, and has recently been charged with two new offences.
“I’m angry for women and girls in our community,” said Dunn on Monday. “A former police officer who (seems to think) he’s above the law.”
According to investigators, a woman met and began chatting with a man through an online dating app in June 2022. The pair agreed to meet in person on June 30.
“Upon meeting the man, the female entered his vehicle. The victim was unable to exit the vehicle of the suspect male and was sexually assaulted,” police said in a statement last week.
The woman was not physically hurt.
Williams was charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement.
The charges are in addition to a dozen sexual assault and criminal harassment charges laid against him late last year in relation to incidents involving several women that date back to May 2021.
Williams resigned from the London Police Service in the fall of 2021. His resignation came shortly before a professional misconduct hearing was set to begin and after he was on the London Police payroll for four years receiving full pay while off the job.
He’s of no relation to retiring London Police Chief Steve Williams.
According to the London Free Press, Williams’ bail conditions include that he remain under house arrest, except for cases of medical emergencies or to attend court. He also must wear a GPS tracker and can not contact his alleged victims.
His sister and brother-in-law are his sureties.
“What is stopping him from getting a phone that his surety doesn’t know about? Or accessing the internet?” Dunn asked, noting that bail conditions aren’t always followed. “It is not right that when a person is charged with some of the charges that he was charged with, sexual assault, and still continues to find women online.”
Williams uses several alternate names when meeting women online, according to a public warning from London Police. They include Will Stevenson, Will Stephens, Will S., Will, Where there is a Will there is a way and Will Si.
“We need to always use a lens of violence against women,” Dunn said. “Women are still less than and men are more privileged and we need to talk about that, especially with bail reform.”
“You have multiple victims who are female and their male perpetrator is out on bail. It’s just harmful,” she added.
