A veteran Toronto police sergeant has been charged for the second time in as many months after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he gave a ride home in his police cruiser.
Police watchdog the Special Investigations Unit said in March that Sgt. Christopher Heard picked up a woman near Wellington Street West and Blue Jays Way to drive her home on Sept. 24, 2015 just before 1 a.m.
The SIU said the unidentified woman was then sexually assaulted during the ride and Heard was charged with one count of sexual assault on March 2. He was due in court in April.
READ MORE: Toronto police officer charged after woman allegedly sexually assaulted in cruiser: SIU
On Thursday, the SIU announced it has laid a second charge of sexual assault against Heard in connection with a separate incident last November.
The agency alleged a 25-year-old woman was picked up by Heard in the early hours of Nov. 1 in the King Street West and Blue Jays Way area.
Similar to the alleged September incident, the woman told police she was driven home by Heard and sexually assaulted after their initial contact.
Heard is scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on June 9 and the SIU said it would not be commenting further because the matter is now before the courts.
A post on the Toronto Police Service’s website describes an incident in August 2012 when the then-23-year police veteran had performed an “off-duty water rescue” at Sharbot Lake Provincial Park.
Heard was listed in the 2015 Sunshine List of having a salary of $144,552.72.
The SIU is an arm’s-length agency that investigates incidents involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
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