WINNIPEG -- Lawyers will make their closing arguments Tuesday in a trial happening in Brandon, stemming from a lawsuit filed by a former police officer over the non-consensual distribution of her intimate images.

Brittany Roque, who was removed from a competition for a constable job with the Brandon Police Service (BPS) when the BPS received the photos, is suing Terri-Lyn Peters under Manitoba’s Intimate Image Protection Act for giving the images to Roque’s potential employer. The City of Brandon is named as a third party in the lawsuit.

The act allows a person whose intimate image was distributed without consent to sue the person who distributed the photo.

On Thursday, Brandon Police Service Deputy Chief Randy Lewis testified Peters contacted police about Roque’s images in February 2017. Lewis told court he went to Peters home, was shown the photos by Peters and transferred them onto a USB.

“At that point I determined these may be relevant to the hiring competition,” said Lewis, adding he obtained the photos to do further analysis to determine their relevance.

When asked if he could’ve just heard from Peters about the images without seeing them, Lewis testified he needed the actual images to gauge the credibility of Peters’ information and that he couldn’t make a proper determination without seeing the photos.

He testified only he viewed the photos and the USB stick was secured in his office.

Peters’ lawyer is arguing her client offered the images to police because it was in the public’s interest. Roque alleges it was for revenge and retaliation.

Court has previously heard Roque photographed herself and texted the photos to Ryan Friesen, a Brandon police officer who she had a three-month affair with during the summer of 2015. Roque testified they were meant only for Friesen to see.

Peters, Friesen’s now former girlfriend, testified she found those photos in his Hotmail account in February 2017 and gave them to the Brandon Police Service, where Roque was applying to become a constable.

Brandon Police Service Staff Sgt. Marc Alain, who was part of the hiring process, testified Roque was removed from the competition to become a police officer after the BPS received the photos.

He told court it’s because during the competition process Roque didn’t initially tell police about the affair or the existence of the photos, issues which Alain told the court the police service worries could lead to an officer being blackmailed. 

Roque testified Monday she experienced psychological trauma and suicidal thoughts in the aftermath of the incident. She told court she was worried the images might end up on the internet after Peters contacted her about them.

Roque told court she was asked to voluntarily withdraw from the hiring process, and when she didn’t, she was removed from the competition.

She later worked for the Rivers Police Service but she testified the whole situation caused her to suffer from fear, anxiety, and humiliation.