Victim becomes undercover RCMP operative, secures confession and conviction in historic assault case

Vienna Luke, a fitness instructor and mother of two, became the central figure in an unusual RCMP operation that turned a victim into an undercover operative, designated as Agent Layla. Plain-clothes officers waited outside her residence while she met her estranged brother-in-law, Justin Sewell, the alleged assailant, and questioned him for over an hour. The interview, recorded by the police, produced a confession that exceeded investigators' expectations.

Sewell later pleaded guilty to a count of sexual assault, and a court sentenced him to 33 months less a day in prison after an appeal adjusted the original house-arrest term. Luke's experience is featured in a new one outlet's podcast series that explores her journey toward justice and healing.