A three-week trial is expected next year for the RCMP's former chief spokesman in B.C. charged with a single count of sexual assault.
Crown lawyer Michelle Booker told a provincial court judge she plans to call about eight witnesses, including four police officers, in the case against former inspector Tim Shields.
Shields did not appear in court, but his lawyer said he will plead not guilty.
The sexual assault charge stems from a police investigation into allegations of misconduct during Shields' time as an RCMP officer and is alleged to have occurred between 2009 and 2010 at RCMP headquarters in B.C.
The allegations, which have not been tested in court, involve a civilian employee who worked in co-ordination with the communications unit which was directed by Shields.
Shields was suspended with pay in May last year and submitted his resignation in December.
The Canadian Press