Sex assault charge against B.C. mayor stayed due to ‘alternative measures’

PORT MOODY, B.C. – A sexual assault charge against a Metro Vancouver mayor has been stayed after he completed an "alternative measures" program.

The British Columbia Prosecution Service confirms that a special prosecutor stayed the proceedings against Port Moody Mayor Rob Vagramov on Wednesday.

The service says the Criminal Code bars it from releasing details about Vagramov's alternative measures program.

Alternative measures can be used in less serious cases that usually involve offenders with no criminal history and can include an extra-judicial dispute resolution process.

Vagramov's lawyer, Ian Donaldson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When it announced the charge in March, the prosecution service said the mayor was alleged to have committed an assault in Coquitlam in 2015, which Vagramov denied.

He has described the matter as an "absolute nightmare" for himself, his partner and his family.

The mayor took a leave of absence in March before returning to city hall in September, but after an outcry from some fellow councillors he took another leave in October.

Vagramov was 28 when he was elected mayor last fall after serving one term on council.

This story by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2019.