A former Fort St. James fire chief no longer stands accused of sexual assault.
The last of the charges against Robert Harold Bennett was stayed last Tuesday, a month after a jury found him not guilty of two counts and unable to reach a verdict on a third following a lengthy trial at the Prince George courthouse.
Criminal justice branch spokesman Daniel McLaughlin said the decision was made after Crown counsel reviewed the the available evidence, including information received during the trial, and concluded the charge approval standard could no longer be met.
"In these circumstances a stay of proceedings is the appropriate course of action," McLaughlin said.
In 2015, Bennett was found guilty of all three counts following a trial before judge alone. However, the B.C. Court of Appeal found the judge had prejudged a witness's testimony before hearing all the evidence and ordered a retrial.
Bennett had stood accused of groping three female firefighters and coming close to raping one of them while he was chief of the volunteer fire department in the community of 1,700 people 152 kilometres northwest of Prince George.
In contrast to the first trial, Bennett testified in his own defence at the second. He admitted to a serious drinking problem during the time in question but flatly denied the allegations.
It's not over yet. A civil action filed by the three complainants - Kirstin Rudolph, Lisa Button and Joy Reierson - remains in play. They're seeking damages from Bennett and the District of Fort St. James.
A finding of wrongdoing in a civil action is based on a balance of probabilities, a significantly lower threshold than beyond reasonable doubt needed for a guilty verdict in a criminal matter.
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