BY KEITH LACEY
A Sudbury woman testified she was so afraid of a police sergeant she took his service revolver and hid it for three days fearing her life was in
danger.
?I thought he was going to kill me....I was scared to death,? she said.
Robin Chuipka, 45, has pleaded not guilty to one count of assault causing bodily harm, four counts of assault and one count of sexual assault.
Justice Frank Caputo of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ordered a ban on publication of any evidence that could identify the complainant.
The woman testified she suffered regular beatings by Chuipka over a two-year period between November 2002 and September 2004.
Chuipka would erupt into fits of rage and resort to violence on a regular basis after he was drinking, she testified.
During one incident, he kicked her in the head with enough force to smash a hole in a wall, she said.
Eventually, she started writing down descriptions of the assaults in a diary and started taking pictures, she said.
The woman was on the stand all day Tuesday and Wednesday and again Thursday. Defence counsel Andrew Buttazzoni started cross-examining the complainant Thursday afternoon.
Alcohol played role
Alcohol played a significant role in many of the assaults, she said.
When asked by Crown attorney Thom Fitzgerald why she didn?t report the abuse sooner, the woman said she believed he would change as he repeatedly promised he would.
?I cared about him,? she said. ?I believed he could change and he had a lot of good qualities. I felt if I could get past the drinking and anger, we were compatible.?
He often threatened her that anything she reported to police wouldn?t be believed because of his position as a sergeant, she said.
?He told other officers I was crazy...and told me over and over again no one would believe me,? she testified.
In the spring of 2003 after another assault, she noticed Chuipka?s service revolver was available and she took it and hid it on him and didn?t return it for several days, she said.
?I took it for my own safety...so I didn?t have to worry about it,? she said.
On Sept. 12, 2004, the woman testified she was so terrified she contacted Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson.
?I didn?t know where else to turn or what else to do...I was scared to death,? she testified.
During this assault, Chuipka grabbed her by the hair, shoved her into a door and then punched her in the ribs, she said.
?I told him you are going to kill me and you?ve got to realize that,? she said.
She never considered calling 911 during any assault because of Chuipka?s position on the police force and fear ?it would just get swept under the carpet,? she said.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
It continues today with the complainant continuing to be cross-examined by Buttazzoni.
Chuipka has been suspended with pay since being arrested last September.
