Sexual assault trial for former Bridgewater police chief begins

The sexual assault trial for the former chief of the Bridgewater Police Service is underway at Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

John Collyer is accused of sexually assaulting and exploiting a 17-year-old girl between April and July of 2016. He appeared in court in Bridgewater on Tuesday, along with the complainant’s mother.

The woman, who cannot be named under a publication ban protecting her daughter, testified that Collyer was a close family friend and viewed as a “parent” by her two children. She told the court she was surprised, angry and confused to discover a thread of Facebook messages between him and her daughter that were, as she described, “sexual” in nature.

According to testimony heard in court, one of the messages implied that Collyer would like to see the 17-year-old topless. Another described her as “hot” and suggested he shouldn’t be alone in a room with her.

“I would never talk to my kid or somebody else’s kid and say inappropriate crap like that,” said the mother. “I didn’t understand it. She’s a kid.”

READ MORE: Former Bridgewater police chief facing sex charges no longer employed by Nova Scotia town

Collyer was placed on administrative leave from his role as chief of police shortly afterward, and was suspended in May 2017 after the province’s Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) laid one charge of sexual assault and two charges of sexual exploitation against him. One of the latter charges has since been dropped.

The Town of Bridgewater, N.S., announced in an August 2018 statement that Collyer was no longer employed by the town.

Crown attorney Roland Levesque said it’s been a long haul for the family, with multiple court proceedings leading up to the trial.

“That period of time is always stressful on the victims, they’re getting a lot of support and help from victim’s services, so it’s good to see the government, the province, has implemented programs to support these persons in the interim,” he told reporters.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia police chief to stand trial on sex charges involving 17-year-old girl

The case is being heard by a judge alone in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Justice Mona Lynch ruled Tuesday that the Facebook messages exchanged between Collyer and the complainant could be submitted as evidence in court, against the arguments of Collyer’s lawyer, David Bright.

Bright declined to comment on this story.

The messages were discovered during the summer of 2016, when the complainant is said to have gone missing for a short period of time during a local fair. Both her mother and a close friend had logged into the girl’s Facebook account in an attempt to locate her.

The friend discovered the chat between the girl and Collyer, and notified the mother. RCMP were notified shortly afterward, and within days, a SiRT investigation was launched.

Collyer is expected to appear in court for the rest of the week, and Levesque said the complainant, the mother and a doctor will testify in the coming days.

Editor’s Note: A correction was made to this story at 7:20 p.m. on Tues. July 9, 2019. The story incorrectly stated that the Collyer trial began on Tuesday, rather than Monday.