The RCMP’s former chief spokesman in British Columbia, who is charged with a single count of sexual assault, made an appearance in court on Wednesday afternoon.
Former RCMP Insp. Tim Shields is facing a sexual assault charge stemming from an alleged incident that happened between 2009 and 2010.
At the time of the alleged incident, which has not been proven in court, Shields was a high-profile former spokesman for the RCMP’s Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) at E Division.
READ MORE: Long trial expected for former B.C. RCMP spokesman Tim Shields
The complainant was a civilian employee with the RCMP and worked with the SCU at the time of the alleged offence.
The RCMP said in a statement that they became aware of the allegations in 2013 after a civil claim was filed against the Mounties by another employee and a Code of Conduct investigation was launched. At the time, there was insufficient evidence in the case to proceed with an active investigation.
In 2014, according to RCMP, “significant new information became available.” Following the new information, an investigative team was formed and the results were reported to Crown and ultimately resulted in the charge.
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During the same time as the criminal investigation, the RCMP launched their own internal investigation and in June 2015 found enough evidence to suspend Shields with pay.
In December 2015, Shields left the RCMP, which halted the internal conduct investigation.
The trial, which started Wednesday afternoon, is expected to last a few weeks.