As civil lawsuits alleging various forms of sexual harassment continue to pile up against a former Kelowna Mountie, the criminal case against him is advancing as well.
After weeks of subsequent adjournments, the seven charges of breach of trust by a public officer against Brian Mathew Burkett will move forward to a preliminary inquiry.
The preliminary inquiry will determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the matter to trial — which would be by a Supreme Court judge alone.
The Crown is looking to schedule five days for the proceedings. A date for the inquiry will be set on March 17.
Separately, there are three civil suits against Burkett which make allegations he abused his position to procure the personal information of people involved in cases he was handling then subsequently used that information to sexually harass them.
The allegations outlined in the suits include threats of sexual assault, demands of nude photographs and several sexually suggestive and explicit messages sent by Burkett.
Burkett left the RCMP in August 2017
He is not currently in custody.
None of the claims have been proven in court and the civil and criminal proceedings are separate matters.
READ MORE: Former Kelowna cop accused of threatening domestic violence victim with sexual assault
READ MORE: Third woman files sexual harassment suit against former Kelowna Mountie
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