Sex assault trial of former Bridgewater police chief begins

The trial of a former Bridgewater, N.S., police chief accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl began Monday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

John Collyer was charged two years ago with sexual assault and sexual exploitation following an investigation by Nova Scotia's independent police watchdog, the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT).

Collyer and his lawyer were in court in Bridgewater Monday as the weeklong trial opened. He has pleaded not guilty.

The complainant, who was 17 at the time, was also in court with members of her family.

Crown and defence lawyers spent time Monday afternoon in a closed-court session discussing whether the Crown needed to make an application related to certain evidence. In the end, the judge decided that was not necessary.

'We saved a step in the process,' says Crown

Crown prosecutor Roland Levesque called that "good news."

"By doing that, we saved a step in the process in not having to file an application and we were able to start the trial today," he said outside the courtroom.

The trial will continue Tuesday and the complainant's mother is expected to testify.

What the Crown alleges

The Crown alleges that three years ago, while Collyer was chief of the Bridgewater Police Service, he was in a position of trust and used his hand to touch the girl in a sexual way.

He was placed on administrative leave in August 2016 after SIRT said it was investigating an allegation of sexual assault. Collyer was suspended in May 2017 after he was charged.

He was officially removed from the Bridgewater Police Service payroll on Aug. 11, 2018.