A Vancouver police officer who was detained in Cuba for eight months on allegations he had sex with a 17-year-old girl has been demoted and ordered to undergo police ethics training.
Const. Mark Sims, who was in the country while off duty, was accused of sexual assault in 2018 but was ultimately acquitted of any criminal charges. Const. Jordan Long of the Port Moody Police Department was detained with him in Cuba as a material witness.
Read more: Two British Columbia police detained in Cuba to face disciplinary hearing
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Two British Columbia police officers detained in Cuba to face disciplinary hearing
When the officers returned to Canada, however, they faced a separate police code of conduct investigation. That investigation, which was summarized in a recent report by the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC), found that Sims engaged in discreditable conduct while Long did not.
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The disciplinary proceeding, led by Vancouver Metro Transit Police Chief Dave Jones, concluded that Sims “failed to take adequate steps or make adequate inquiries before engaging in sexual activity with a high school student on a prom trip in another country ” was justified.
1:10 BC Police officers are cleared of all charges in Cuba
The proceedings concluded that Simms’ discipline should reflect the “seriousness of the member’s actions” and also work to “educate and correct the member’s conduct.”
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Sims did not seek to review the decision.
Read more: British Columbia police officers held in Cuba for 10 months return home
As a result, Sims was demoted from constable first class to constable second class for a minimum of one year and ordered to undergo ethics training.
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Global News sought comment from Simms through the Vancouver Police Union, who said both the officer and the union were unable to respond due to confidentiality rules.
Global News has requested comment from the Vancouver Police Department.
Sims was arrested while vacationing in Varadero in March 2018, accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old Ontario girl who was also vacationing in the resort town.
The girl’s family and friends say she called home in tears to report she had been attacked.
Read more: British Columbia cops held in Cuba for 8 months acquitted of sexual assault charges
Sims and Long were held in the country for months, and supporters who maintained their innocence complained about a lack of evidence and alleged problems with the Cuban legal system, including requirements that the men sign documents in Spanish they did not understand.
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He was acquitted by a five-woman jury in November 2018 and returned to Canada in January 2019 after the country’s Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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