The trial of Interior Health’s former chief medical officer, who was arrested last year for alleged sex crimes against a child, has been moved to Alberta’s supreme court.
Dr. Albert de Villiers was arrested in Kelowna in June 2021 for one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference stemming from his time in Grande Prairie, Alta., where he was the province’s north zone lead medical health officer.
RCMP have previously said the offences allegedly occurred between 2018 and 2020.
Details of De Villiers’ trial are included in a publication ban, but an employee at Grande Prairie Court House told Black Press Media the case had been moved from provincial court to Alberta’s Court of Queen’s Bench where proceedings are expected to resume in May.
De Villiers had initially been taken into custody and was scheduled to have a bail hearing. The result of that hearing has not been made public.
De Villiers was the face of Interior Health’s COVID-19 pandemic response after being named the health authority’s top doctor in August 2020.
@tyler_harper | tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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