News Release
Injury Sustained by Prisoner Caused During Fight with Another Prisoner; SIU Terminates London Investigation
Case Number: 18-OCI-179
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury sustained earlier this month in London by a 33-year-old man.
On June 14, 2018, a group of prisoners was being transported from the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre to the London Provincial Courts in the London Police Service transport van. While in the van, a fight broke out between two prisoners, resulting in one of the prisoners being taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a left orbital bone fracture.
Director Loparco said, “The man’s injuries were not caused or contributed to by any police officer. As such, I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations