New details emerge in paramedic sex assault case

More details are emerging about the case of a paramedic charged with three counts of sexual assault against two patients.

James Duncan Keats, 47, of Kentville, N.S.is accused sexually assaulting a 71-year-old woman on two separate occasions and a 32-year-old woman on another occasion while on-duty.

The second reported victim,the 32-year-old woman, told police she was riding a Halifax Metro Transit bus last January when she began experiencing chest pains. An ambulance was called.

Court documents allege that when she was moved to an ambulance, Keats removed her pants and sexually assaulted her with his fingers.

Keats was released from custody after the first incident reported by the 71-years-old woman on June 3. Rawdon RCMP said they received a complaint from the 71-year-old from East Hants who reported she had been sexually assaulted in her home.

Paramedics had been called to the woman's home to provide treatment for her husband. While one paramedic examined the man, police allege a second paramedic escorted the woman to another room where he said he was going to check her vital signs.

The woman told police that's when the sexual assault took place.

RCMP later determined the same paramedic had allegedly sexually assaulted the same woman on Sept. 1, 2012, while she was being transported by ambulance to the hospital for treatment.

Keats has been a paramedic with Emergency Medical Care since 1995. He was suspended with pay after the first charges against him came to light.

The ambulance service told CBC News that they first learned of the initial charges -- and these latest ones - through police news releases.