Bennett ‘very drunk’ on night of an alleged incident

— Bennett also agreed with Reierson’s testimony that the conversation also turned to his wife and the complications she had been having during her pregnancy with the twins.

But he denied ever forcing a kiss on Reierson and then pinning her to a wall and then the floor. He also denied locking the door after Rivard left, saying he actually left it open. And he said two other firefighters – Don Fraser and John Bennison – never knocked on the door but rather they happened to be out in the hall after the meeting between he and Reierson had ended.

As for the incident with Rudolph, Bennett said he was very drunk and against his better judgment, had decided to drop by the fire hall. When he came across Rudolph sitting with some other firefighters the hall’s common room, Bennett agreed he was flicking her ponytail as well as knocking her ball cap off and “generally being a pest to get a rise out of her.” But he denied making sexually suggestive comments and, contrary to her claim he reached around to grope her breasts, Bennett said he was poking at her shoulders and ribs.

Bennett said he stopped, left the room and went home when Fraser and Bennison, who were also in the room, made it clear he should. “They basically told me ‘you’re not wanted here anymore, that’s enough, goodbye see you later, hit the road,” Bennett said. “Maybe not those exact words, but.”

Bennett also denied ever touching Button’s breasts and buttocks as well as some other alleged incidents involving Rudolph or Reierson. Button, who was sitting in the gallery, wiped away tears when she heard Bennett’s denial while her partner put her arm around her. Rudolph, meanwhile, glared at Bennett.

Bennett said matters began to come to a head in April 2013 when he was pulled over while in Port Moody and issued a 90-day roadside suspension. When he told the municipality’s chief administrative officer about the incident, Bennett said he was given a verbal warning and advised to get counseling for stress and alcohol issues, which he did although the drinking appeared to have continued.

He said he has not touched alcohol since August 2013 when he was charged with the three counts of sexual assault and his wife threatened to leave him.

Prior to Bennett’s testimony, RCMP Cst. James Potyok took the stand to field questions about what Rudolph told him when she went into the community’s police detachment on July 19, 2013 to talk about the incident in the common room the night before.

Potyok said Rudolph told him Bennett had never touched her chest although he did reach around and make a squeezing motion. As demonstrated to him by Rudolph, Bennett’s hands appeared to be a “healthy foot away,” the court was told.

After consulting with a superior officer, Potyok said he told Rudolph it appeared to be a case of sexual harassment and thus a workplace issue rather than a criminal act of sexual assault and directed her to the community’s municipal office.

A file was documented for information, “but as far as engaging into a criminal investigation, we didn’t go forth with that at that time.”

Defence counsel has suggested the three “juiced up” subsequent statements to police.

Crown prosecution began its cross examination of Bennett late Wednesday and it will resume this morning at the Prince George courthouse.