Court hears testimony in case that alleges Vancouver police officer sexually assaulted colleague
The trial is underway for a Vancouver police officer charged with a sexual assault alleged to have happened in Whistler during the summer of 2019.
Surrey resident and police officer Jagraj Roger Berar, 51, faces one count sexual assault, which he denies.
Squamish RCMP said they received a complaint on July 19 and "immediately launched an investigation."
On the first day of the trial, the accuser testified, saying the incident occurred on the night of July 14.
She says a number of VPD officers were staying in Whistler during a golf tournament happening in the nearby town of Pemberton. The accuser, also a VPD officer, was not playing in the tournament, but decided to join several of her colleagues for a night in Whistler.
Once she arrived, she described a group of around eight officers who were drinking alcohol in a penthouse suite at the Pan Pacific Village Centre, rented by a close colleague of hers.
The group then had drinks at the hotel bar, and attempted to get into a nightclub in Whistler Village after midnight, but failed.
At that point, she says she and a few others went back to Berar’s hotel suite at the nearby Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel. She alleged Berar made a drink for her that was too strong to finish. She says she then threw up in the bathroom, and returned to the living room to see the sofa bed had been pulled out, and everyone but Berar had gone to bed. At this point, the accuser says she blacked out, only remembering snippets of the night. However, she recalls her jeans being partially off and not knowing why. She also remembers Berar having oral sex with her without her consent.
The accuser told the court that although she was inebriated, she knew something was wrong and she needed to leave. She says she told Berar to stop, then she got dressed, and drove home to Squamish. That week, she filed a report with the Squamish RCMP.
The court was shown a video recording of a 35-minute meeting between the accuser and Berar at an East Vancouver coffee shop two months after the Whistler trip. The accuser asks Berar to help her “fill the gaps” of the night. Berar claimed the alleged victim nuzzled up to him on the sofa bed, which he took as a sign for sex. Berar is heard on the video saying he’s married, and the sexual encounter was a “one off.”
Berar denies the sexual assault allegation. He has been suspended from the VPD since 2019, and remains off of active duty pending the outcome of the trial, which is expected to wrap up later this week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.