Manitoba

Manitoba police watchdog investigating more sexual assault allegations against RCMP officer

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba launched an investigation last month following an allegation of sexual assault by an on-duty RCMP officer in northern Manitoba. The agency now says it is investigating other allegations dating back as far as 2018.

Officer is now alleged to have committed several assaults in northern Manitoba between 2018 and July 2021

A close-up picture of an RCMP badge.
The alleged incidents of sexual assault occurred in northern Manitoba between Oct. 29, 2018 and July 27, 2021, the Independent Investigation Unit says. (CBC)

Manitoba's police watchdog says it's investigating more allegations of sexual assault by an on-duty RCMP officer, who was already under investigation.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba said on July 9 of this year that it was investigating a single allegation of sexual assault by an on-duty RCMP officer in northern Manitoba.

On July 28, the RCMP reported several additional incidents to the investigative unit which came to light after the initial allegation.

On Wednesday, the agency — which is tasked with investigating incidents involving police in the province — said it is now looking into allegations the officer committed a number of sexual assaults between Oct. 29, 2018, and July 8, 2021.

Those allegations were reported to RCMP on July 27 and were reported to the IIU the next day, the police watchdog said.

The investigation unit's civilian director has determined it is in the public interest to conduct an independent investigation, the agency said in a Wednesday news release.

No other details have been made public. The investigative unit is not releasing any further information about the incident due to its sensitive nature, the news release said.

Corrections

  • An earlier version of this story said the officer is now accused of assaults that are alleged to have happened between Oct. 29, 2018, and July 27, 2021. In fact, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba later clarified the assaults are alleged to have happened between Oct. 29, 2018, and July 8, 2021.
    Aug 04, 2021 9:11 PM EDT