Five police officers were convicted of attempting to obstruct justice, and three of them were also convicted of perjury, arising from a warrantless search of a drug suspect's apartment and subsequent false memo book entries and testimony to conceal the timing of the search.
The Crown sought penitentiary sentences of three to four years, while the defence sought non-custodial sentences.
The court considered the serious breach of trust and the need for denunciation and deterrence, but also weighed significant mitigating factors, including the catastrophic impact of the prolonged 14-year investigation and proceedings on the officers' lives, careers, and health.
The court concluded that a penitentiary term was not warranted and imposed a 45-day conditional sentence (house arrest) for each offender.
