A veteran Chatham-Kent police officer is being demoted for failing to report a case of child abuse and lying to his superiors.

Brad Molnar, a 19-year veteran of the force, pleaded guilty Thursday to neglect of duty and discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act.

The hearing heard a woman went to police headquarters in May 2016 to report an assault.

She said “My son believed he was going to die at the hands of his father” when the 12 year old was thrown repeatedly against a door in December 2015.

The woman says Constable Molnar didn't take her statement, didn't write any notes nor did he read the six-page document she brought with her outlining the assault.

She says she left headquarters that day feeling "violated, shunned and dismissed.”

She also claims Molnar questioned her motives, accusing her of fabricating the abuse story to get a "leg up" in their divorce proceedings.

It wasn't until the woman called back to headquarters some months later that Molnar's superiors learned of the complaint.

The hearing heard they asked Molnar about it, and that is when he lied and said he had reached out to the father when in fact there is no record of him doing so.

His report wasn't filed until five months after the woman first spoke up.

Almost 19 months later, the woman filed a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director.

Constable Molnar was charged in October 2018 -- almost three years after the woman went to police to file a report on the assault.

In pleading guilty Thursday, Molnar said to the woman “you both came to me when you needed assistance and I let you down. It's my fault. I cannot apologize enough.”

The woman in turn said “My sincere hope is moving forward this experience will remind you that we all have a voice. We all need to be heard. Please remember that."

Molnar, 48, has been demoted to the rank of second class constable which results in a loss in salary of $10,000. A third charge of insubordination was dropped.

Chatham-Kent police tell CTV News no charges have been laid in the assault allegation because there isn't enough evidence and a conviction is unlikely.