Another woman is suing a former Kelowna RCMP officer for sexual harassment following a 2016 complaint of domestic violence.
This is the second lawsuit against former Kelowna Mountie Brian Mathew Burkett. He left the RCMP in August 2017 after a woman filed a claim that he’d demanded nude photos from her. He is also criminally accused of seven counts of breach of trust for incidents alleged to have occurred between October 2015 and August 2016.
According to court documents, the woman claims Burkett responded to her home after a neighbour reported a domestic assault in May 2016. Black Press Media is not revealing her name because of publication bans in place in the criminal case.
She claims he took note of her address and her cell and work phone numbers. The woman was under the impression this was standard procedure.
Burkett then allegedly texted her inappropriate pictures of himself and told her he expected “certain sexual favours.”
When she did not reply, she says he threatened to sexually assault her, making several threatening phone calls and harassing her on Facebook.
In October 2016, the woman claims she was subject to further harassment by the RCMP while she was recovering from surgery at home.
She claims officers broke down the door while she was asleep, then forced her into a police vehicle and drove her to the hospital. She alleges the RCMP told her they had received an anonymous tip she was unwell.
“The RCMP members did not make inquiries of the plaintiff with regards to her health; neither did they seek to check the reliability of their anonymous tip,” reads the claim.
She was not admitted to the hospital or given any treatment, and claims the forced visit violated her Charter rights and left her “confused and terrified.”
Shortly after, she says she left the Kelowna area to avoid further harassment.
The woman claims she suffers severe emotional injuries as a result of Burkett’s and the RCMP’s negligence including PTSD, diminished self-worth, nightmares, depression, guilt, anguish and insomnia.
She is seeking compensation for loss of future and current earnings, recovery of health care costs, and punitive damages.
None of the allegations has been proven in court and no response has been filed.
A representative of the RCMP declined to comment.
READ MORE: Ex-Mountie faces civil lawsuit over alleged explicit photo request
READ MORE: Ex-Kelowna police officer charged with seven counts of breach of trust
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