A North Okanagan doctor pleaded guilty to one sexual assault Thursday, putting a swift end to a trial that was set to begin Monday, though more legal woes linger.
Peter Inkpen’s trial on that sexual assault was set to begin on March 4, but it was cancelled because of the guilty plea, the BC Prosecution Service said in a statement.
His next court appearance on this file is on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. for scheduling a date for the following court appearance, which will presumably address sentencing.
That is only one of three trials for sexual assault Inkpen is facing. He is also charged with a different count of sexual assault and trial for a matter that got underway on Feb. 26 and is scheduled to finish on March 1.
A third sexual assault trial is also in the works. In that case, he stands charged with four more counts of sexual assault. The next court appearance in this file is on Thursday at 9 a.m. in courtroom 102 at the Vernon Law Courts for the purpose of consulting with counsel.
Inkpen was arrested July 14, 2022, on the initial sexual assault charges, following what Mounties described as a comprehensive investigation into a female patient who reported being sexually assaulted by her physician during treatment.
A call for further complaints was made and more charges materialized. The nature of those are not clear.
Inkpen was a doctor in physical medicine and rehabilitation. His website and practice appear to be closed, as of early July, and according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, his registration is “temporarily inactive.”