Jagraj “Roger” Berar, 55, was found guilty at the North Vancouver provincial court on Wednesday following a trial which heard that a Vancouver police party in Whistler ended with Berar’s sexual assault of a fellow officer, including oral sex without the female cop’s permission. The incident was reported to Squamish RCMP on July 19, 2019, and was alleged to have happened several days prior, according to the RCMP. Berar has been suspended with pay since 2019, according to Vancouver police. VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said Berar will still face a separate investigation under the Police Act.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff With News Files

VANCOUVER – An Indo-Canadian cop with the Vancouver police department has been convicted of sexual assault, over an incident in Whistler two years ago.

Jagraj “Roger” Berar, 55, received the verdict at the North Vancouver provincial court on Wednesday following a trial which heard that a Vancouver police party in Whistler ended with Berar’s sexual assault of a fellow officer, including oral sex without the female cop’s permission.

The incident was reported to Squamish RCMP on July 19, 2019, and was alleged to have happened several days prior, according to the RCMP.

Berar was charged that November, with Mounties at the time describing it as an “isolated incident involving persons known to each other,” that was unrelated to his job as a police officer.

Berar has been suspended with pay since 2019, according to Vancouver police.

“We were shocked to learn the details in this case and we take these matters very seriously,” VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said.

“While it would be inappropriate to comment on the court’s decision, the facts in the case are deeply concerning and we respect the court’s decision.”

Addison said Berar will still face a separate investigation under the Police Act.

VPD officer Berar, a Surrey resident, was charged after Squamish RCMP said they received a complaint on July 19 and "immediately launched an investigation."

On the first day of the trial, the accuser, also a VPD officer, testified, saying the incident occurred on the night of July 14.

She said a number of VPD officers were staying in Whistler during a golf tournament happening in the nearby town of Pemberton. The accuser, also a VPD officer, was not playing in the tournament, but decided to join several of her colleagues for a night in Whistler, reported CTV News.

Once she arrived, she described a group of around eight officers who were drinking alcohol in a penthouse suite at the Pan Pacific Village Centre, rented by a close colleague of hers.

The group then had drinks at the hotel bar, and attempted to get into a nightclub in Whistler Village after midnight, but failed.

At that point, she says she and a few others went back to Berar’s hotel suite at the nearby Pan Pacific Mountainside Hotel. She alleged Berar made a drink for her that was too strong to finish. She says she then threw up in the bathroom, and returned to the living room to see the sofa bed had been pulled out, and everyone but Berar had gone to bed. At this point, the accuser says she blacked out, only remembering snippets of the night. However, she recalls her jeans being partially off and not knowing why. She also remembers Berar having oral sex with her without her consent.

The accuser told the court that although she was inebriated, she knew something was wrong and she needed to leave. She says she told Berar to stop then she got dressed, and drove home to Squamish. That week, she filed a report with the Squamish RCMP.

The court was shown a video recording of a 35-minute meeting between the accuser and Berar at an East Vancouver coffee shop two months after the Whistler trip. The accuser asks Berar to help her “fill the gaps” of the night. Berar claimed the alleged victim nuzzled up to him on the sofa bed, which he took as a sign for sex. Berar is heard on the video saying he’s married, and the sexual encounter was a “one off.”

Berar will be sentenced at a later date.