THUNDER BAY -- After deliberating last evening and most of Friday, a jury has returned with a mixed verdict, finding a former Canadian Forces medical technician guilty of four charges and not guilty on three others.
The verdict follows a two-day trial that opened this week for former Canadian Forces petty officer second class James Wilks.
Wilks pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault, three counts of breach of trust, and one count of sexual exploitation. The charges relate to allegations that Wilks performed unauthorized breast examinations on three potential recruits into the Canadian Forces while he was stationed in Thunder Bay and London, Ont. between 2005 and 2008.
The jury found Wilks guilty of one count of sexual assault, one count of breach of trust, and one count of sexual exploitation relating to the complainant who was under the age of 18-years-old at the time.
Wilks was found not guilty on the counts of sexual assault relating to the other two complainants. And while the jury found Wilks not guilty on the breach of trust charge relating to one complainant, he was found guilty of breach of trust in relation to the complainant who testified that her medical examination report prepared by Wilks said no breast examination occurred, but she testified to being offered one by Wilks and accepting.
The identity of the complainants is protected by a publication ban.
Wilks has already been convicted of sexual assault and breach of trust charges in the past. He was sentenced to 11 months in custody in 2011 after being convicted of one count of sexual assault and four counts of breach of trust.
In 2013, Wilks was sentenced to another 30 months in custody after being found guilty of 10 counts of sexual assault and 15 counts of breach of trust.
A five-member court martial panel in Gatineau, Que. found Wilks guilty of one count of sexual assault and three counts of breach of trust in 2015.
The matter has been adjourned to March to set a date for a sentencing hearing.
