Former Mountie faces more sexual assault charges

Jim Somers, a retired RCMP officer, is now facing 14 charges for sexual assaults against three victims in the mid-2000s.

A Mountie who resigned from the force following charges of sexual assault on children over ten years ago, has been charged with further assaults.

Jim Somers, now 69, is facing 14 charges of sexual assault against three boys which police allege are connected to three victims.

They say the investigation began when a 17-year-old male came forward and spoke to police about the assaults that occurred in the mid-2000s.

The interview with that young man led them to discover two more victims.

Somers has two prior convictions for sexual assault in 1996 and 1998 from incidents that occurred in the 70s.

He received a suspended sentence for an assault on a 10-year-old boy and then a two year less-a-day sentence for an assault on four boys between the ages of five and 10.

Staff Sergeant Ryan Jepson of the CPS Sex Crimes Unit says Somers gained access to the boys through the trust of the adults. “In those types of circumstances, it’s not like he was required to have a criminal history check or anything like that.”

The latest charges suggest that Somers has made a pattern of leaving children with a lifetime of challenges to work through.

Danielle Aubry of the Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse says that victims internalize the responsibility and guilt around the abuse and that causes problems in the future.

Somers appeared in court on Wednesday via CCTV.