Court orders new trial for former B.C. fire chief accused of sexual assault
VANCOUVER — The British Columbia Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial on sexual assault charges for a former fire chief of a small town in central B.C., ruling that the actions of the trial judge could be perceived as being unfair.
The former chief of the Fort St. James Fire Department was charged with three counts of sexual assault relating to three female volunteers with the department.
The trial judge rejected arguments that the man’s behaviour and conduct was accepted by members of the fire department.
At the trial, the judge read a section of the Criminal Code on perjury to a witness who was favourable to the defence, and said an RCMP investigation should be launched into the witness’s testimony.