Saskatchewan man Sir Brent Adair Habetler has been arrested in Bermuda on Nov. 26. He faces charges of committing an indecent act in a public place and assault.
Trevor Lindsay, journalist and owner of TNN in Bermuda, had reported on Friday that Canadian National Brent Habetler was arrested on Nov. 26 and charged with committing an indecent act namely, masturbating in a public place. He was additionally charged with assault. The charges stemmed from when Habetler was a guest at the Willowbank hotel in Southampton, Bermuda.
TNN's report said that Habetler was from Radisson, Saskatchewan, Canada, and was granted bail in the amount of $5,000, and returns to Bermuda Magistrate court Dec. 4.
TNN's Lindsay told SASKTODAY.ca in a phone interview Saturday that he has attended Habetler’s court appearance in Bermuda. Lindsay said that Habetler's passport was taken from him by the court.
Bermuda Police Service Corporate Communications Manager Gary Moreno confirmed with SASKTODAY.ca on Monday that the charges as reported by TNN are accurate. SASKTODAY.ca communicated with Bermuda Police Service both on the phone and through email.
Habetler's lawyer Samantha Labahn of Engel Law in Edmonton, Alta., was contacted on Saturday for comment. She hasn't responded.
Willowbank hotel in Bermuda, where the alleged offences occurred, was called for confirmation that Habetler was a guest. The clerk said, “Oh is that the man from Canada?" and then added, "He left last week.” When asked about Habetler’s charges stemming from his stay at the hotel, the clerk said “you have to talk to the police.”
In a phone interview, Lindsay said that Habetler was forced to leave the hotel where he allegedly committed the indecent act and assault against another guest. He added that Habetler had gone to another hotel afterwards and was turned away.
Public Prosecutions in Edmonton, Alta., were contacted Monday and asked if Habetler’s charges in Bermuda are a violation of the conditions of the 12-month peace bond he had entered into in a Lloydminster, Alta., court in November. He was ordered to keep the peace and be of good behaviour, as well as not be at swimming pools, playgrounds, or daycares.
They didn’t immediately respond.
Alberta charges
At the time of his arrest, Habetler, from Radisson and Lashburn areas, was under a peace bond in Alberta court. It is unclear if those conditions are binding in Bermuda.
In November, Habetler, 46, had charges of committing an indecent act in a public place, the Lloydminster, Alta., swimming pool, withdrawn. Instead, the Crown Prosecutor proceeded by a 12-month peace bond not to be at any swimming pool, daycare, day school, or youth centre. Previously, a two-day trial had been set for January 2024 in Lloydminster Alberta Court of Justice.
On those charges, Habetler was arrested in March. Days after his arrest, Saskatchewan RCMP issued an alert to media and said that in the interest of public safety, they were advising residents of the Maidstone RCMP detachment area, and surrounding communities, of an offender who had been charged with committing an indecent act and the RCMP said that he was at high risk to reoffend.
In April, a charge of mischief was withdrawn. The charge had stated that he willfully obstructed, interrupted, or interfered with the lawful use, enjoyment, or operation of property, the Lloydminster, Alta., swimming pool.
Fake royal? No proof found in Habetler’s claims to be royalty
Habetler had legally changed his name to Sir Brent Adair Habetler and claimed to be third cousin to the now late Queen Elizabeth II.
But after genealogy expert, Xenia Stanford from Family Roots Tracer in British Columbia, spent countless hours pouring over family trees and archives trying to find any evidence that would prove Sir Habetler's Royal lineage, she came up empty-handed. No historical evidence proving Habetler’s claims could be found.
Stolen valour
Habetler had also claimed that he was a sniper and a weapons tech in the military. He said after being recognized as third cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, he represented the Monarchy at a military event in Wainwright, Alta.
In August 2019, when asked, the Wainwright military base would neither confirm nor deny Habetler's claim to have participated in their military event as a member of the Monarchy.
Three months later, in October 2019, information about Habetler appeared on Stolen Valour Canada. Stolen Valour said Habetler claimed to have served in the Canadian Army from 1999-2003, and was a member of 1 PPCLI / Joint Task Forces 1 & 2 [weapons tech and sniper]. He claimed to have been deployed to the Balkans, Africa, Middle East and Central America and retired on a “quarter pension” as a Master Corporal. He claimed to have a secret knighthood for his combat service in JTF2 on operations in Venezuela.
Stolen Valour said that the reality was “Sir Brent doesn’t have a single day of CF service.”
Bermuda residents unhappy Habetler on their shores
Outraged residents of Bermuda have voiced their concerns over Habetler's presence in their country, citing similar charges he faced elsewhere. Speaking to SASKTODAY.ca, locals expressed shock and fear about the situation.
Out of fear of potential retribution, they spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“I stumbled on your article about Sir Brent Adair Habetler,” said one woman on Saturday. “He is currently here in Bermuda and he’s at it again! After being arrested for masturbating in public he has been released on bail! Apparently, he and his wife had also been heard bragging about how much money they have and that they are connected to royalty, as if they are above the law.”
Another woman from Bermuda contacted SASKTODAY.ca after Googling Habetler’s name, saying, “You have recently written an article about Brent Habetler, a man released and deemed a high risk to reoffend. He entered a peace bond and was forbidden from frequenting aquatic places etc. He has landed in Bermuda and stayed at a local resort where he committed indecent acts and assaulted a person last week. Why would a high-risk offender be released and allowed to travel?”
A concerned man from Bermuda raised questions about how Habetler managed to find his way onto their shores. In an email, he expressed growing unease within the community about the circumstances surrounding Habetler's arrival in Bermuda.
The Bermuda charges against Habetler haven't been tested in court.
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