Sex assault charge stayed against former mayor of Kelowna, B.C.

A sexual assault charge laid against the former mayor of Kelowna, B.C., has been stayed by a special prosecutor.

Colin Basran, 45, hadbeen charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident alleged to have occurred while he was still mayor.

The B.C. Prosecution Service(BCPS)announced a stay of proceedings on Thursday, a day before Basranwas set to appear in a Kelowna courtroom to enter a plea.

In a statement, the service saidthe special prosecutor assigned to the case, Vancouver lawyer Brock Martland,made the decision after a review of furtherinformation from Basran's lawyers and the RCMP.

Basranwas charged in December.In a statementat the time, the BCPS said the incident allegedly occurred in Kelowna in May 2022.According to a court document, the alleged assault happened "on or about" May 11.

CBCNews has reached out to Basran for comment about the stay of proceedings, which means charges have been dropped, but proceedings could resume within a year of the stay.

The BCPSsaid Martland,a senior Vancouver lawyer in private practice,was appointedspecial prosecutor in relation to the investigation because of the public nature of the case and to avoid any potential for "real or perceived improper influence in the administration of justice."

The service says Martland concludedthat the standard for proceeding with the criminalcharge could no longer be met.

Police investigation

The investigationwas conducted by the Kelowna RCMP Investigative Services Department, the BCPS said.

The findings were independently reviewed by the Nelson Police Department before a report was forwarded to Martland.

Basran was born and raised in Kelowna.When he was first elected in 2014, he was the youngest person in the city's history to becomemayor.

He was re-elected in 2018, butwas defeated by Tom Dyasin last year'smunicipal election. Basran became a Kelowna city councillor in 2011 and served one term prior to becoming mayor.