Former Ottawa police officer charged with sexual assault

Former Ottawa Police Deputy Chief Uday Jaswal has been charged with sexual assault against a female police officer who was under his supervision at the time. The assault is said to have taken place at work.

Multiple sources told CTV News ahead of the announcement that Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is expected to lay charges as early as Tuesday, following an investigation that has lasted several months. Ottawa Police Service Chief Eric Stubbs and the Ottawa Police Services Board have also been informed.

According to the SIU, the new allegation relates to an incident that occurred in 2011 when Jaswal was serving as an OPS inspector.

CTV News has learned that the plaintiff was an Ottawa police officer at the time.

The police inspectorate says all updates on its investigations will be posted on the agency’s website.

CTV News has reached out to the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) but has not yet received a response.

Jaswal’s lawyer Ari Goldkind called the charges “both opportunistic and factually implausible.”

“The SIU has no objective evidence to support these allegations,” he wrote in a statement. “Mr Jaswal will defend himself fully and vigorously against this false allegation and we will seek a trial as soon as possible. There will be more.”

Jaswal began his career with the OPS in 1995 and rose through the ranks to become Deputy Chief of Police, not only with the OPS but also with the Durham Regional Police Service, where he was repeatedly accused of misconduct in both communities.

Jaswal resigned from the OPS in February 2022 after several women accused him of sexual harassment. He was charged with eight charges under the Ontario Police Services Act, including conduct dishonorable and insubordination.

Six of the charges were related to complaints filed by three women who worked with Jaswal at OPS. The other charges were related to allegations of corruption and abuse of power during his time in Durham Region.

The Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) withdrew the charges in 2022 after losing jurisdiction when Jaswal resigned from police duty days before a scheduled hearing in the case.

Jaswal was hired as Durham’s deputy police chief in 2016, but returned to Ottawa two years later after being recruited by the OPS board. Complaints of sexual misconduct against Jaswal surfaced after he was promoted to the top OPS ranks.

In 2019, a civilian employee filed a human rights complaint against Jaswal, accusing him of unwanted advances and inappropriate touching. A year later, that complaint, along with complaints of sexual harassment filed by two female officers in 2008, formed the basis for the OCPC’s investigation and charges.

Jaswal was suspended on salary in 2020 and collected a salary of over half a million dollars until he retires from the police force in 2022.

According to the SIU website, there are currently two ongoing sexual assault investigations into members of the Ottawa Police Service. One complainant came forward in March 2023, and another came forward to the SIU last December.