Ex-Ottawa cop acquitted of sexual assault charge
Judge rules testimony from accused raises doubt in incident from 2019
Former Ottawa police constable Sharmarke Ali has always maintained his innocence since his 2019 arrest on a sexual assault charge, and on Wednesday he was acquitted at the Elgin Street courthouse.
Ali, 34, was charged in May 2019 with sex assault and forcible confinement after he met an intoxicated 18-year-old woman on Rideau Street after the bars spilled out. Off-duty at the time, the rookie cop flashed his badge and offered her a drive home — a two-minute drive.
Parked outside, they shared consensual kisses, but the complainant said Ali's touching was not consensual. Ali, who testified in his own defence, said everything was consensual.
The judge believed the woman's account but after hearing Ali's version, he was left with doubt and acquitted him.
The Ottawa Crown Attorney's Office abandoned the forcible confinement case against Ali at the outset of the trial in September.
The woman came forward after a friend told her that police are supposed to help people, not make out with them.
Ali, a rookie still on probation at the time, was let go from the force in July 2019.
Ali's trouble with the law is far from over. He's scheduled to go on trial next week on two counts of sexual assault involving different women in Toronto back in 2013.
Defence lawyer Michael Spratt said Ali expressed relief after Wednesday's verdict.
“From Day One Mr. Ali has strongly denied the allegations made against him and he has been consistent in his account of the event from that night,” said Spratt, a partner at Abergel Goldstein & Partners. “When Mr. Ali was arrested, he provided a full statement to the police. And he voluntarily testified at the trial, exposing himself to cross-examination and scrutiny. He told the court that he was innocent and the court found him not guilty because of his testimony. This has been a long process and Mr. Ali is relieved with his acquittal and thankful for the court's careful consideration of the case.”
Ali attended Algonquin College and was a district manager at a retail-services company, where he worked for five years, before joining city police. Previously, he was a sales manager for a cellphone company.