News Release
Toronto Police Service Police Officer Charged
Case Number: 10-TCI-256
Mississauga (7 April, 2011) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ian Scott, has reasonable grounds to believe that an officer with the Toronto Police Service (TPS) committed a criminal offence in relation to the injury of a Toronto man in October 2010. Director Scott has caused a charge to be laid against the officer.
The charge stems from an interaction on October 17, 2010 between a 61-year-old Toronto man and a member of the TPS. The man who was in custody in a police cell at 51 Division sustained a fracture during the encounter.
As a result of the SIU investigation, Constable Mark Kennedy of the TPS is facing one charge of assault causing bodily harm contrary to section 267 (b) of the Criminal Code of Canada.
The officer is required to appear on Thursday May 26, 2011, before the Ontario Court of Justice (College Park Building) , 444 Yonge Street,Toronto. The Justice Prosecutions branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General will have carriage of the prosecution.
As this matter is now before the courts, and in consideration of the fair trial interests of the charged officer and the community, the SIU will make no further comment pertaining to this investigation.
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