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Iain Kenneth Smy, accused of sexually assaulting boys in the Brandon area during the 1980s should be back in Manitoba today. (FILE PHOTO)
If things went according to plan, a man who allegedly fled the country after being accused of sexually assaulting boys in the Brandon area during the 1980s should be back in Manitoba by now.
Brandon Crown attorney Joanne Maynard said Canadian police have travelled to Spain to escort Iain Kenneth Smy, who was expected to board a plane in Madrid on Tuesday and land in Toronto that evening. He was then expected to reach Winnipeg early this morning.
"He consented to his extradition," Maynard noted on Tuesday as she supplied an update on the case.
In October 2009, the Brandon Police Service announced that a former Brandon resident had been arrested in connection with sexual assaults allegedly committed against three 11- to 15-year-old boys in the 1980s. The man was arrested in Sarnia, Ont.
The man was in a position of authority with at least two local youth groups at the time of the offences which were committed during group outings, police alleged.
Smy is charged with nine counts of sexual assault, six of which date from between Sept. 1, 1986, and Nov. 27, 1988, with two allegedly committed at CFB Shilo and four in Brandon. Another three offences are alleged to have been committed earlier at CFB Shilo, between Jan. 1, 1984, and Dec. 31, 1985.
Reportedly, at the time of the alleged offences, Smy was a volunteer with the Brandon air cadet group and also held a leadership role with a scout group based at CFB Shilo.
Those familiar with the case believe there may be other victims who haven’t stepped forward. Any such victim is urged to call the BPS at 729-2345.
Smy was supposed to attend court in Brandon on July 15, 2010, but he didn’t show up and a Canada-wide warrant was issued. His lawyer told court that the case had been resolved and the accused was supposed to travel to Brandon from Ontario.
The Brandon Police Service then learned that Smy had left the country and turned to a joint Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP unit that is dedicated to tracking down accused who are wanted on arrest warrants.
That unit tracked Smy to Europe and, with the help of Interpol and other European police forces, he was found in Spain.
He was arrested by Spanish National Police in Malaga, Spain, on April 30 and Maynard said Smy has been housed in a jail there since.
He has since consented to his extradition, Maynard said, and was expected to arrive in Winnipeg today.
It’s expected that Smy will be transported from Winnipeg to Brandon by sheriffs and housed at the Brandon jail. He’s then expected to appear in Brandon court at some point but no date is currently available.
» ihitchen@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition June 20, 2012
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