Chief Body to stand trial
By Shurtz, Delon on July 23, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
A Blood Tribe Police officer charged last year with sexual assault is finally set to stand trial.
After several delays and previous court hearings, an agent for the accused’s lawyer confirmed Wednesday the trial for Const. Bradley Chief Body has been scheduled for Nov. 19-20.
Chief Body pleaded not guilty in February to two counts of sexual assault, and was expected to set a trial date the following month. However, the matter had to be adjourned to allow time for the Crown, judge and lawyer to schedule a pre-trial custody to discuss the trial and co-ordinate schedules.
Chief Body, who was suspended from duty with pay, was charged July 16 of last year following an investigation by ASIRT, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.
Investigators reported that on two occasions in February 2017, an on-duty officer sexually assaulted a woman by improperly touching her, over clothing, without her consent. The complainant reported the alleged assaults following the second incident.
Identifying the complainant is prohibited by a court-ordered publication ban.
The Crown initially elected to proceed by indictment, but re-elected previously to proceed by less serious summary conviction. An accused convicted of sexual assault where the Crown proceeds by indictment is liable to imprisonment for up to 10 years, while a summary conviction is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 18 months.
Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter
13-12
