Former RCMP Inspector Tim Shields has been found not guilty of sexual assault, over an incident at the old RCMP headquarters in Vancouver eight years ago.
Shields was the RCMP’s former chief spokesperson in B.C. He was accused of sexually assaulting a former civilian employee, whose name is protected by an identification ban.
Unless an appeal is launched in the next thirty days, this verdict closes the chapter on a court case that began back in June and continued on and off ever since.
Both Shields and the complainant were described by the judge as articulate, educated and intelligent — but the decision came down to reliability, not the credibility of the witness.
Speaking just after the verdict, Dan McLaughlin from the BC Prosecution Service says the Crown failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“In this particular case, the court concluded that we hadn’t established our case to the requisite standard and an aquital is the result.”
The woman testified that in 2009, Shields led her into a unisex washroom at RCMP headquarters, where he undid her clothes, groped her and put his hand on her genitals.
Crown prosecutors argued that the encounter was not consensual, and the woman told the court she followed Shields to the bathroom because he was a supervisor, and she believed he had something to tell her.
She left her position with the RCMP shortly after the incident, and testified that in 2013 she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
WATCH: Former RCMP Inspector Tim Shields charged with sexual assault
Shields’ defence argued the woman followed him to the bathroom “voluntarily and enthusiastically,” and argued the pair had sent each other flirtatious emails.
During closing arguments, Shields’ lawyer described the complainant as “a liar and a perjurer.”
The trial has stretched longer than expected, and faced several delays.
What was scheduled to be a three-week hearing when it began June ended up lasting until late November.
The RCMP has said it became aware of the allegations against Shields in 2013, amid a civil claim filed against the force by another employee. It launched a code of conduct investigation, but found insufficient evidence to proceed.
Then, in 2014, the force said “significant new information became available,” which formed the basis for a criminal investigation.
Shields was suspended with pay in 2015 after an internal RCMP investigation, and resigned at the end of that year.
-With files from Amy Judd
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