Judge Apologizes for Asking Woman in Sex Assault Trial Why She Couldn’t Keep Her Knees Together

Two years ago, an Alberta judge asked a teenage rape victim, "Why couldn't you just keep your knees together?" Now, he is apologizing for the incredibly misogynistic comment.

Justice Robin Camp credits the gender-sensitivity training and counselling, which he paid for, for his newfound empathy for human rights. The case in question involved a 19-year-old woman who was allegedly raped over a sink at a Calgary house party. It was during the victim's testimony that Camp asked the question, and subsequently acquitted the accused. The judge also asked the the woman "Why didn't [she] just sink [her] bottom down into the basin so he couldn't penetrate [her]?" On Monday, The Canadian Judicial Council, a group of federal judges that investigates issues about their colleagues, issued a notice of response about the case. "Justice Camp agrees that he made insensitive and inappropriate comments during the… trial," the notice states. "He has apologized generally and specifically." It goes on to read, "His counselling has given him a deeper understanding of the trauma faced by survivors of sexual assault and about the discriminatory history of sexual assault law." READ MORE: Canadian Judge Who Told Alleged Rape Victim to 'Keep Your Knees Together' Could Be Removed Camp will apologize again during a weeklong public inquiry that will begin on September 6. This hearing was prompted by Alberta's Attorney General Kathleen Ganley earlier this year after two law professors at the University of Calgary and Dalhousie University complained about the judge's shitty comments. While Camp says that he is still fit to be a judge, the committee in charge of the inquiry may ask to remove Camp from the bench. This will be the first ever disciplinary review of a Canadian judge during a sexual assault trial. Follow Ebony-Renee Baker on Twitter.