Saint John police officer elects judge and jury trial for alleged assault

A Saint John police officer accused of using excessive force during an arrest last summer has elected to be tried by a judge and jury.

Const. Benaiah Sok, who is charged with assault causing bodily harm, did not appear in provincial court Monday morning.

Lawyer Adrian Forsythe, appearing as agent for Sok's lawyer, Nathan Gorham, gave the court a signed notice of election from Sok.

Now that Sok has elected a judge and jury trial, a date will be set by the Court of Queen's Bench.

A "public complaint" was first made to the Saint John professional standards department, and it was forwarded to Fredericton police for investigation on Sept. 3, 2021.

That investigation concluded in December with the indictable assault charge laid in provincial court.

• Saint John police officer faces assault charge

That's when the Saint John Police Force issued a statement advising that Sokhad been reassigned to administrative duties, with no contact with the public, pending the criminal proceedings.

Once the criminal court proceedings have concluded, a Police Act investigation will follow.