MEDICINE HAT— It took a jury less than two hours to render a not guilty verdict in the sexual assault trial of a former Mountie at Medicine Hat Court of Queen’s Bench on Thursday.
“I’m very satisfied with the Canadian justice system and how this trial was treated,” said Alexander Nimeck moments after the verdict was read.
“However, I’m disappointed in how the investigation was handled by the Brooks RCMP ... Fortunately, in my case, there were clarifications by the court.”
The 22-year veteran of the RCMP said he encourages men and women to take up a police career but added they should know “they are under the public eye and stay there their whole life.”
Nimeck said he has lodged a formal complaint against the RCMP for how the Brooks detachment handled the investigation.
It was alleged that Nimeck, 56, had assaulted a woman at his home south of Brooks in May 2007.
The 49-year-old complainant waited until the fall of that year to approach the Brooks women shelter with her allegation that an assault took place.
She contacted the RCMP in December of that year and Nimeck was charged in July of 2008.
With no physical evidence presented during the four-day trial, jurors had only testimony to weigh.
In his charge to the jury before they deliberated, Justice Vaughn Hembroff described “the real issue” as the credibility of the complainant versus the accused.
Hembroff added that it also came down to consent and whether the sexual intercourse “was wanted or unwanted.”