Interior Health’s former Chief Medical Health Officer has been charged with more child sex crimes.
Grande Prairie RCMP say Dr. Albert de Villiers was charged on Tuesday with invitation to sexual touching, voyeurism, and making sexually explicit material available to a child.
Corporal Patrick McPhee told NL News the charges relate to incidents that allegedly took place between Jan. 2017 and Dec. 2019 when de Villiers was the north zone lead medical health officer with Alberta Health Services, a position he was in for 16 years.
“This is a new investigation,” he said. “This is something that was brought forward as a result of some of the work that some of your partners have done in getting the media releases that we are sending out out.”
“As a result of that a witness came forward and we entered into an investigation in January.”
McPhee says the 54-year-old de Villiers turned himself in at the Olds RCMP detachment in Central Alberta but wasn’t able to say why.
“I know that some of the residents of Olds reached out and said ‘is there a concern for the safety and the community in Olds?’ I can say that there isn’t,” McPhee added.
“Olds RCMP was there to assist us in getting the process underway. I agree with you though, it does stick out. You know, here is a gentleman from Kelowna, subject on an investigation in Grande Prairie, and he gets arrested in Olds. Absolutely, that is a valid question.”
McPhee says de Villiers was released after a judicial hearing with several conditions including that he not be in the presence of any one under the age of 16 without supervision. He is scheduled to be back in court date on Sept 12.
“As these matters are now before the courts, no further updates or details surrounding the incident will be provided,” McPhee said, noting he also wasn’t able to comment on whether the witness who came forward and de Villiers were known to each other.
de Villiers was arrested in Kelowna on June 8 last year, and charged with sexual assault and sexual interference against a minor for events that allegedly took place near Grande Prairie between June 15, 2018 and July 31, 2020.
He was granted bail the following day, June 9, with a number of conditions including not going near or contacting any witnesses or victims in the case, and with an order to not be in public parks, community centres, schools, daycares, or other places where people under the age of 16 might be, unless with an approved person.
de Villiers is scheduled to appear in court in January next year on those initial charges with a pre-trial conference set to begin on Oct. 21.
Hired by Interior Health in Aug. 2020, de Villiers was Chief Medical Health officer for the health authority for ten months until June 2021.
