Ex-premier accused of groping woman, report says
LONDON— A British newspaper says police in London are investigating an allegation of sexual assault made against former British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell. The Daily Telegraph says Scotland Yard is investigating a complaint from a woman who was an employee at the Canadian High Commission when Campbell was high commissioner.
The newspaper reported in an online story Friday that the complainant alleges she was groped in 2013. The woman is named by the newspaper, but The Canadian Press does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault without their active consent.
The Metropolitan Police in London could not be reached for comment on Friday.
Campbell also could not be reached for comment, but the Daily Telegraph reported that a spokesperson for him said the alleged incident was investigated and dismissed.
“This complaint was transparently disclosed and became the subject of a full due diligence investigation at the time by the government of Canada and was found to be without merit,” the newspaper quotes the unnamed spokesperson as saying.
The newspaper said Scotland Yard issued a statement confirming it is investigating an allegation of sexual assault that occurred in 2013 after it was contacted by a 54-year-old woman on Jan. 3. The statement says the woman alleges she was sexually assaulted at an address in Grosvenor Square and that no arrests have been made. The Canadian Press was not able to contact the woman quoted by the Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper reported the woman alleges a “hand went up my backside” as she climbed a staircase on her way to a meeting.
In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said it cannot comment on specific allegations for privacy reasons.