Victoria police officer to face sexual-misconduct claim in public hearing
Credit to Author: Postmedia News| Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2020 01:18:44 +0000
A public hearing will be held in the case of an off-duty Victoria police officer at the centre of a sexual misconduct complaint.
On Wednesday, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner issued a statement that said a public hearing had been called to look into the allegation and that retired Supreme Court justice Wally Oppal will adjudicate the hearing.
The names of the officer and the complainant have not been released due to the sensitive nature of the allegations. Oppal will be tasked with deciding whether or not that will change during the course of the hearing.
According to background documents, the complainant and the off-duty officer met through a mutual friend while out partying with a group on May 12, 2018, in Vancouver. The complainant and a friend then spent the night in a hotel room booked by the off-duty officer and his friend.
“Sexual activity occurred between the complainant and the off-duty member; however, there is a divergence in the evidence in terms of whether the sexual activity was consensual,” the documents read. “The complainant ultimately reported to police that she was sexually assaulted by the off-duty member while she was incapacitated due to her alcohol consumption.”
A criminal investigation resulted in no charges of sexual assault against the officer, while a discipline proceeding found the allegation of discreditable conduct was not substantiated.
The public hearing comes after the complaint requested the commissioner arrange a public hearing, as the complainant and other witnesses were not able to testify at earlier proceedings.