Investigation
Bridgewater Police Chief Charged with Sexual Assault
Date Published: 2017-05-04
Province: Nova Scotia
Police Agency: Bridgewater Police Service
Summary
On August 4, 2016, SiRT received information from the RCMP regarding alleged actions of a member of the Bridgewater Police Service in relation to a teenaged female. Because of those allegations SiRT opened an investigation at that time. The investigation included seeking the production of certain documentary evidence from a third party which was not received until the last week of April, 2017. As a result, the investigation was not completed until May 3, 2017. During this investigation, SiRT interviewed nine civilian witnesses, and four police witnesses. Many other investigative steps were taken, and evidence relevant to the matter was gathered from a variety of sources. On May 4, 2017SiRT will lay one charge of sexual assault, contrary to section 271of the Criminal Code, and two counts of sexual exploitation, contrary to sections 153(1)(a) and (b), against John William Collyer, 53, Chief of the Bridgewater Police Service. These offences are alleged to have occurred between April…