Former B.C. fire chief found not guilty of sexually assaulting volunteers

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — A former chief of the fire department in Fort St. James, B.C., has been found not guilty by a jury of sexually assaulting two female volunteers.

The jury reached the verdicts Saturday in the case of Robert Harold Bennett after deliberating for 3 1/2 days at the courthouse in Prince George.

It was unable to reach a verdict in the case of a third complainant.

It was Bennett’s second trial after he was found guilty previously by a judge on all three counts.

A new trial was ordered by the B.C. Appeal Court after it said the lower court judge displayed an apprehension of bias.

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(Prince George Citizen)

Prince George Citizen, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Robert Harold Bennett was found not guilty on all three counts.