Fate of RCMP officer accused of assaults now with jury

The fate of anRCMPofficer is now in the hands of an eight-woman, four-man jury in St. John's.

Const. CameronLockhart, 32, is accused of assaulting two women he had relationships with at different times, in the Bay Roberts area, between Jan. 1, 2009 and Sept. 1, 2011.

Lockhartis also accused of threatening one woman, and with smashing the other's cell phone and, in a rather bizarre incident, destroying some of her jewelry in a jealous rage.

High stakes

The woman testified thatLockhartasked her for jewelry she had receivedfrom other boyfriends, and he put five of her rings in his mouth, chewed them and spit them out.

It's alleged thatLockhartchoked one woman, hit her in the ear, and pushed her into a counter, all on different occasions.

In the case of the other woman,Lockhartis accused of elbowing her in the eye, andin a separate incident, elbowing her in the back.

Lockharthas denied it all. The stakes are high for him. If found guilty, he would likely see his career as anRCMPofficer evaporate.

On Monday, his lawyer, Nick Avis, called the jewelry incident absurd, saying, "It never happened."

Avis reminded the jury that anyone can get charged, and be put on trial, and thatLockhartis presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

"Maybe, probably, possibly aren't enough."

He also said that the women didn't go to the police; the police came to them.

"Why didn't they go to the police?" he asked the jury. "Because it didn't happen."

Wouldn't be believed

One woman testified she didn't go to the police because she still cared forLockhart. Both women testified they didn't complain, becauseLockharthad told them they wouldn't be believed given he is a police officer.

Avissaid the women and certain witnesses for the crown weren't credible. He said that on the uttering threats charge, they had recounted different stories, but at trial all agreed thatLockhartsaid, 'Call me back, or I'll beat your face in.'

He said thewomen and witnesses had conspired to get their stories straight.

Avis also noted that both women wanted to have a relationship withLockhartafter the alleged incidents and after he had broken up with them. He said one even sent him nude pictures of herself after he had supposedly assaulted her.

During his closing statements, Crown prosecutorJason Housesaid the jury shouldn't read anything into the fact that the women didn't go to the police.

Housereminded the jury thatLockhartsaid that he had been assaulted as well, and didn't go to the police either.

He reminded them that both women had testified thatLockharttold them they wouldn't be believed.

Cell phone incident

House also referred to testimony from one of the women who saidLockharthad smashed her cell phone because she was getting calls from a man she had met in Mexico.

Lockharthad testified he got her a new cell phone because her old one was in bad shape, but House said that kind of "spontaneous gesture" seemed oddsinceLockhartnever bought her anything else.

The Crown argued thatthe testimony of both women was forthright, and while there may have been some inconsistencies in their testimony, they were credible given that a lot of time had passed since the alleged crimes.

Lockharthas been suspended with pay since being charged.