Calgary family physician charged with sexual assault of Cowboys patron
A Calgary family physician is accused of sexually assaulting a woman more than a year ago.
Police say a woman was at Cowboys Dance Hall on 12th Avenue S.E. on Jan. 14, 2023, and left in a taxi with a man.
They say he took her to a nearby hotel, rented a room and sexually assaulted her.
The woman later reported what happened to police.
Ali Ayyaz Chatha, 34, is charged with sexual assault.
He is scheduled to appear in court on May 28.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons says his practice permit at a clinic in Bridgeland is still active, but in general, when it becomes aware of criminal charges against a doctor, it opens an investigation.
Chatha's lawyer tells CTV News he is presumed innocent and will diligently defend himself in court.
Alberta Justice says this is the third time Chatha has been accused of sexual assault.
One charge was stayed in 2019 while a second was withdrawn in 2021.
According to records obtained by CTV News, Chatha was convicted of common assault in 2021 and received a conditional discharge.
In Canada, there is no time limit on reporting a sexual assault.
Anyone who believes they are a victim of sexual assault is encouraged to report it, even if many years have passed since the incident.
"We investigate all sexual offences that are reported to us and take several investigative steps to speak to witnesses, collect and process evidence – including DNA analysis – prior to laying charges," said Staff Sgt. Tom Hanson of the sexual assault investigative unit.
"These types of crimes can be extremely personal and sensitive, and I want to thank the victim for coming forward to police and reporting this incident to us."
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at 403-266-1234.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Largest vaccine production plant in Canada opens in Toronto
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing the opening of a major vaccine production plant in Toronto today — part of Canada's efforts to build up the domestic biomanufacturing sector in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These are the world's 20 best cities for foodies, according to Time Out
Some travellers pick a city break based on the destination’s cultural offerings. Others eye up cities with buzzy nightlife or opt for a destination hosting a festival or event. But for many vacationers, the most exciting part of any trip is the food.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Israeli centrist party proposes vote to dissolve parliament
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party proposed on Thursday holding a parliamentary vote on dissolving the parliament, but it was unclear whether he had enough support to bring about an early election.
Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa
The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.
BMO services restored following outage from data centre fire alarm, the bank says
Bank of Montreal clients saw services restored Thursday morning after an overnight, false fire alarm caused outages, the bank says.