Sexual assault charges filed against former Durham Police Deputy Chief

A former Durham Police Deputy Chief has been charged with sexual assault following an investigation from Ontario’s police watchdog.

The Special Investigations Unit handles all cases in which a member of the public is seriously hurt, killed or sexually assaulted during an interaction with police.

The SIU received a complaint against Uday Jaswal, a former Ottawa officer who previously worked as a deputy chief in Durham Region, from a woman who claimed Jaswal sexually assaulted her in 2011.

At the time Jaswal was an inspector with Ottawa Police. The victim was an Ottawa Police officer at the time of the alleged incident.

The allegation emerged on March 13  and Jaswal was formally charged with one count of sexual assault on June 25. He is now unable to contact the woman, unable to go within 100 metres of her and is unable to possess a firearm, crossbow or a wide range of other weapons.

Jaswal became an Ottawa officer in 1995 but moved to Durham as a Deputy Chief in 2016. He returned to Ottawa in 2018 before resigning in 2022 amid several harassment complaints. At the time of his resignation, he had been suspended with pay since 2020.

Ottawa Police said they are “mindful of the impact on the community and our members.” They “encourage anyone who needs support to reach out to available resources.”

He will appear in an Ottawa court on July 18 and has denied all allegations.