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Former Kelowna mayor’s sexual assault case back in court, though he was not

The trial resumes on April 4
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Former Kelowna mayor Colin Basran is facing sexual assault charges. (Aaron Hemens/West K News)

Kelowna will have to wait until April 4 to hear more details about the sexual assault charges facing former mayor Colin Basran.

Basran did not appear in court on Feb. 21 to fix a date for his next court appearance.

Lydia Chu, with the law firm Peck and Company, appeared on behalf of Basran and his high-profile lawyer Richard Peck, retained as Basran’s legal counsel.

Special Crown counsel Brock Martland said that the discovery portion of the trial is in progress and would be completed by March 20.

He requested the next court date be pushed to April 4, and Chu agreed.

The incident allegedly happened on May 11, 2022, the same day that Basran is said to have attended a Tourism Kelowna event at the Coast Capri Hotel.

Basran was officially charged with an indictable offence of sexual assault on Dec. 7.

Criminal defence lawyer Timothy Foster explained that sexual assault is a hybrid offence.

Because of the wide range of severity it encompasses, trials typically initially proceed as though it is an indictable offence, which is considered more severe, prior to the first court appearance.

A charge of sexual assault encompasses everything from unwanted touching to rape.

After the incident was reported, an investigation was conducted by the Kelowna RCMP before being handed over to the Nelson RCMP for an independent review from investigators who had no previous relationship with Basran.

Peck has successfully represented big name clients including former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum in a public mischief case and Air India bombing suspect Ajaib Singh Bagri.

He also was lead council for the extradition case of Chinese business executive Meng Wanzhou.

Two days before the 2022 municipal election, when Basran was running for re-election, Martland was appointed special Crown counsel to the investigation.

The complainant’s identity is protected by a publication ban.


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Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com

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Jacqueline Gelineau

About the Author: Jacqueline Gelineau

I'm a reporter in the beginning stages of my career. I joined the team at Capital News in November 2021...
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