Lt.-Col. Mason Stalker is suing the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces over their investigation into allegations that resulted in him being charged with numerous sexual offences, CTV reports.
According to CTV, Stalker, who grew up in Revelstoke, claims the military was negligent in their investigation of “false and malicious” sexual assault allegations against him.
The charges were laid in 2015 and stemmed from offences alleged to have occurred between 1998 and 2007, while Stalker, a commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, was based in Edmonton and a mentor with the 2551 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps.
The charges were widely reported and he was relieved of his command after they were laid.
In November 2016, the charges were withdrawn, with an Edmonton-based Crown prosecutor saying there no longer a likelihood of securing a conviction.
Stalker maintained his innocence throughout the entire affair.In his statement of claim, which the CTV obtained, Stalker said the investigation was “negligent” and the allegations were “false and malicious.”
He says they lacked evidence and that a proper investigation would have shown they “could not have possibly been true.”
He says the incident damaged his career, reputation and mental health and he is seeking $8 million in damages.
The claim also accuses the military of issuing a media release that made it seem like there were multiple victims, when there was only one alleged victim.
Stalker was an active member of Revelstoke’s Rocky Mountain Rangers Cadet Corps before moving on to a military career. He is a two-time recipient of a Meritorious Service Medal for his actions as a commanding officer in Afghanistan.
