Police watchdog charges N.S. RCMP officer with sexual assault
Nova Scotia's police watchdog has charged an RCMP officer with sexual assault.
On May 17, the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) received a referral from the RCMP that a woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by one of their officers on May 16.
The officer and the woman are known to each other.
As a result of the SIRT investigation, Const. Manas Parray was charged with sexual assault on July 22.
Parray is scheduled to appear before the Nova Scotia Provincial Court in Port Hawkesbury, N.S. on Aug. 19.
Parray is a member of the force's Inverness County detachment, RCMP said in a news release on Tuesday.
Police confirmed Parray is suspended with pay "and all disciplinary avenues are being pursued through the internal conduct process that has been launched."
Parray's duty status will be "continuously assessed" throughout the court and internal process, RCMP said.
Earlier this month, SIRT charged another RCMP officer with sexual assault.
Const. William McNutt of the East Hants District RCMP had already been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault prior to the most recent charge on July 2. He is currently suspended without pay.
McNutt has pleaded not guilty to at least two of the charges, and the other cases are still before the courts.
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