Charges against Blood Tribe Police officer withdrawn

By Delon Shurtz on November 20, 2020.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Blood Tribe Police officer set to stand trial for sexual assault has been placed on a peace bond and the charges have been withdrawn.
Const. Bradley Chief Body was set to begin a two-day trial Thursday in Lethbridge provincial court on two counts of sexual assault. However, the Crown explained the complainant is on medical leave and no longer in the country, and recommended placing the accused on a commonlaw peace bond, and a $2,000 no-cash recognizance
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 her 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.
During the duration of the nine-month peace bond, Chief Body must keep the peace and behave himself, continue taking psychological counselling, and avoid contact with the complainant.

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