Former RCMP officer given conditional discharge for breach of trust involving vulnerable woman

Mark Tyler Hilland, 47, a former Vancouver Island RCMP officer, was sentenced Friday, September 11 to a conditional discharge with 18 months' probation for breach of trust by a public officer. If Hilland completes the probation conditions, he will have no criminal record.

The incident occurred on July 2, 2024. According to the facts presented in court, Hilland was filling out reports in a police vehicle when an Indigenous woman, whose name is protected by publication ban, approached him. The woman had recently been propositioned by a man for sex, an interaction the Crown described as negative that triggered traumatic memories from her past involvement in the sex trade. She had reported that interaction to police, though Hilland was unaware of it.

Later that evening, Hilland asked the woman how she was feeling after noticing she seemed upset. She told him someone had been rude to her, and as their conversation progressed, she began flirting with Hilland. He was then called away to another incident described as sounding dangerous. Before he left, the woman gave Hilland her phone number, address, and door code, and invited him to visit after his shift.

On July 3, Hilland called the woman after his shift ended and went to her residence, where the two had consensual sex. Hilland did not keep a promise to call her the following week. When they met again, he told her the incident was a mistake and said he would not contact her again. The woman said it was acceptable at the time, but later reported the incident to Nanaimo RCMP.

The Crown, represented by counsel Andrew McLean, had sought a suspended sentence that would have resulted in a criminal record. The defence, represented by Brad Kielmann, sought the conditional discharge. Judge Reginald Harris delivered the conditional discharge. Court documents noted that Hilland had been an exemplary officer prior to the incident, working in high-crime areas including Fort St. James—described as notorious for high crime—and at understaffed detachments, where he worked long hours.