A jury found a former chief of the Fort St. James fire department not guilty of sexually assaulting three female volunteers.
The verdict was issued Saturday evening at the Prince George court house following nearly 3 1/2 days of deliberation and it amounts to a reversal of fortune for Robert Harold Bennett.
A previous trial before judge alone on the matter ended with Bennett guilty on all three counts but a new trial was ordered after the B.C. Court of Appeal found B.C. Supreme Court Justice Glen Parrett displayed an apprehension of bias.
This time around, Bennett launched a more vigorous defence with the help of a two-lawyer team – Jason and David Tarnow out of Vancouver. Crown counsel countered with two prosecutors of its own.
It’s not over yet. The complainants – Kirsten Rudolph, Lisa Button and Joy Reierson – have filed a civil action against the District of Fort St. James and Bennett, alleging sexual harassment. And in civil cases the burden of proof is based on a balance of probabilities, a lower standard than the threshold of reasonable doubt used for criminal cases.
