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Female Mounties opt not to press charges in alleged sex assaults by fellow cop

Jun 8, 2018 | 2:15 PM

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s police watchdog says it won’t lay charges against an RCMP officer accused of groping two female Mounties, because neither woman wanted criminal charges laid.

Investigators say two Mounties were touched “in circumstances of a sexual nature, without their consent” after a team-building exercise at a bar on April 17.

The accused is a member of the Nova Scotia RCMP’s tactical team, taking part in a training exercise at CFB Aldershot, N.S., and was described as “very drunk.”

According to the Serious Incident Response Team report, the accused officer forced his hands up one member’s shirt and touched her breasts before he was pulled away by another member.

A second female officer then felt a hand under her shirt and swatted it away — she punched the male officer in the face when he tried it again, although it appeared to have no effect on him.

SIRT says it determined a sexual assault charge could be brought against the officer, but the case was dropped after both women indicated in writing that they did not wish to have the matter “advance to the stage of criminal charges being laid.”

“In the present situation, there is no legislative direction dictating that a prosecution should proceed despite the wishes of the victim and the wishes of both affected parties against a prosecution have been considered,” the report states.

“The details of the offences are not such that the public interest outweighs the clear wishes of both affected parties. Accordingly, no charges will be laid.”

The drunk officer — who knew neither woman — was removed from the premises and later vomited on the bus ride home, SIRT says.

“The second (woman) described the (officer) as very drunk to the point of not being able to acknowledge what was happening. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being passed out, she described the (officer) as an 8 or 9,” said SIRT.

The incidents were reported to SIRT, which investigates all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia, the following day.

The Canadian Press