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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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Colin Basran is charged with sexual assault. (Aaron Hemens/Capital 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 for the fix a date, and instead was represented by his lawyer.

Attorney Lydia Chu, representing Basran’s defence lawyer’s firm Peck and Company, appeared on behalf of the high-profile lawyer Richard Peck and Basran.

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

READ MORE: Ex-Kelowna mayor Basran to be defended in sex assault case by lawyer from Air India bombing case

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, and 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.

Basran’s lawyer 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, special Crown prosecutor Brock Martland was appointed 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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