Canadian Armed Forces reservist charged with sexual assault
Incident allegedly took place in April while accused and victim were attending a course
A reserve member of the Canadian Armed Forces has been charged with sexual assault after an alleged incident in April at CFB Halifax.
Ordinary Seaman Andres Florian-Rodriguez was charged on Tuesday with one count of sexual assault. He is a member of HMCS Hunter, a naval reserve division in Windsor, Ont.
The incident allegedly took place while Florian-Rodriguez was attending a course at Naval Fleet School Atlantic at CFB Halifax. The alleged victim was also attending the course.
Military spokesman Lt. (Navy) Blake Patterson said he was unable to release information about the accused's age or the sex of the alleged victim.
He said a trial date has not yet been determined.
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, which laid the charge against Florian-Rodriguez, is responsible for investigating all sexual assault allegations within the Forces.
5 courts martial completed this year
Military police charged 34 service members with sexual offences in 2015 and 15 during the first six months of 2016, according to a report released by the military in August.
As of September, officials said five courts martial have been completed this year, with two military personnel found guilty of sexual assault and one guilty of charges related to child pornography.
One service member was found not guilty of sexual assault, while charges against the fifth person were withdrawn.