Former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell accused of sexual assault: British newspaper

FILE: British Columbia Gordon Campbell waves the Canadian flag at the foot of the Peace Arch on the Canada – U.S. Border as the Olympic Flame makes its way to Vancouver. (Photo: US Embassy Canada/Flickr, Public Domain)

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 says in a story published online on Friday that the complainant alleges she was groped in 2013 and filed a complaint with police in January.

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 says a spokesman for him says 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 spokesman as saying.

The newspaper says 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 as it continues its investigation.

The Canadian Press was not able to contact the woman quoted by the Daily Telegraph.

The Daily Telegraph says the woman alleges a “hand went up my backside” as she climbed the main staircase at Canada House on her way to a meeting.

In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said it cannot comment on specific allegations for privacy reasons.

“The government of Canada takes any allegations of sexual assault and harassment extremely seriously,” the emailed statement said. “This kind of alleged misconduct in the workplace is absolutely unacceptable.”

Campbell was premier of British Columbia from 2001 until 2011. He was appointed high commissioner in 2011 and left the diplomatic post in 2016.