Former VPD detective pleads guilty to three sex-related charges

A former high-profile detective with the Vancouver Police Department pleaded guilty Wednesday to three sex offence charges, two of them involving a minor.

According to the B.C. Prosecution Service, James Fisher entered guilty pleas to one count of breach of trust for kissing a young person for a sexual purpose, and another count of breach of trust for kissing a second complainant.

He also pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation involving the youth, which Crown Counsel Winston Sayson says has a mandatory minimum sentence of 90 days in jail.

Fisher, who spent nearly three decades on the force, was arrested in December 2016 and charged with six counts. He was suspended from duty and the following May, three additional charges were laid.

It's believed the incidents took place between August and December of 2015 and spanned multiple jurisdictions, including Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey, the crown said.

As a result of the guilty plea, the Crown will not be pursuing the other charges. Fisher is scheduled to be back in Surrey provincial court June 29 for sentencing.

Decorated detective

Over the course of his 29 years with the force, Fisher was commended for his dedication working on the VPD's Counter-Exploitation Unit.

In 2014, he was presented with an award by then attorney general Suzanne Anton, who called him part of an "inspirational group of local heroes."

Fisher was also the lead investigator in the Reza Moazami case, which marked BC's first human trafficking conviction under the Criminal Code.

The allegations first came to light after a fellow officer came forward. At the time, Vancouver's police chief called the revelations very troubling.

"It is rare for a VPD officer to be charged with offences such as these and it is not reflective of the other members of our police department," Chief Adam Palmer said.

"I was upset, we have amazing people that work here and I think our reputation stands for itself."