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The Decibel

The Decibel

He preyed on women using a police database. Then they found out

The Decibel · Sep 25, 2026 · 24:50

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For years, Sgt. Robert Semenchuk, a Regina police officer, preyed on hundreds of vulnerable women using information from police databases. He often posed as a contractor named Jay or Steve and sent seemingly wrong-number texts to women. Some of these texts led to intimate relationships. The women had no idea he was deceiving them, until one woman became suspicious.

This case is the focus of the new season of In her Defence: Breach of Trust. Globe feature writer Jana Pruden is the host of the podcast. She’s on the show to talk about the women that came forward to hold Semenchuk accountable, and what it tells us about how law enforcement agencies in Canada are policing themselves.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com


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Episodes: The Decibel

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