Police officer's appeal of corrupt practice conviction and demotion for accepting hockey tickets dismissed.
The appellant, a police officer, appealed his conviction for corrupt practice and insubordination, as well as the resulting penalty of demotion.
The charges arose after the appellant stopped an impaired driver, released him without charges after the driver's wife mentioned a police association director, and subsequently accepted hockey tickets from the driver.
The appellant argued that the Hearing Officer erred in finding the elements of corrupt practice, failed to declare a mishearing due to ineffective assistance of counsel and a reasonable apprehension of bias, and imposed an excessive penalty.
The Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services dismissed the appeal, finding that the wiretap evidence and circumstances supported the conviction, the ineffective counsel claim was a tactical decision raised too late, the bias claim was unfounded, and the penalty of demotion was appropriate given the serious nature of the misconduct.