Former B.C. RCMP officer Tim Shields due in court on sexual assault charge

A high-profile RCMP officer is due in court Tuesday, facing one count of sexual assault.

In 2015, Insp. Tim Shields was suspended with pay in the wake of two sexual harassment lawsuits. He resigned that December.

In 2016, the Criminal Justice Branch launched an investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct raised by a civilian employee. She claims that Shields assaulted her when he was the officer in charge of communications between 2009 and 2010.

Crown lawyer Michelle Booker told a provincial court judge last June that she plans to call about eight witnesses, including four police officers.

The trial is expected to last three weeks. None of the claims have been proven in court.

READ MORE: Long trial expected for former B.C. RCMP spokesman Tim Shields

-With files from The Canadian Press