Two Metro Vancouver police officers accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old Canadian girl while on vacation in Cuba have been acquitted.
A panel of five female judges said they believed the accusation was made up, and that the assault did not occur, retired police officer Leo Knight told CTV News.
A member of the security staff at a resort in Varadero corroborated the information from the two officers, who maintained their innocence.
There is an appeal period, and the officers are unable to leave the country. They will stay in a hotel until an appeal is filed or the period is over, Knight said.
Vancouver Const. Mark Simms and Port Moody Const. Jordan Long were arrested following the allegation from an Ontario teen in March. Simms was accused of the girl's assault, while Long was accused of being an accomplice.
They've been prohibited from leaving the country for the last eight months.
During their detention in the country they've been supported by a local church, which started an online fundraiser for the men who it says were falsely accused.
