blake 3:17
21st December 2010, 18:27
Police officer charged in G20 beating
December 21, 2010
Lesley Ciarula Taylor
http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/c0/f4/466c504942948179196253b6a044.jpeg On Dec. 21, 2010, Ontario's Special Investigations Unit said one Toronto police officer had been charged with assault in connection with the violent arrest of G20 protester Adam Nobody on June 26, 2010.
TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Working with evidence in part supplied by the Toronto Star, investigators have charged an officer with assaulting a protester during the G20 summit.
There are reasonable grounds to believe that an officer . . . committed a criminal offence in connection with the arrest of Adam Nobody on June 26, Ian Scott, director of the Special Investigations Unit, said in a release Tuesday.
Const. Babak Andalib-Goortani was charged Tuesday morning with assault with a weapon.
The arrest comes less than a month after Toronto police Chief Bill Blair contended in a radio interview that a video of Nobody being roughed up during G20 demonstrations was significantly tampered with and fabricated.
Blair later apologized to Nobody.
The chiefs claim unleashed a flood of citizens evidence of the volatile demonstrations during a summit of world leaders that turned downtown Toronto into an armed camp.
First, the SIU declared there were no missing segments in the video of the incident posted by John Bridge on YouTube.
Then, the SIU released photographs of two bystanders recording Nobodys arrest and asked for their help. The Star provided a second video two days later, on Dec. 9.
The SIU received a third video from a member of the public.
Through an analysis of the video imagery and additional information gathered during the re-opened investigation, SIU investigators determined that three of the named 15 officers may have caused injuries to Mr. Nobody related to his first allegation of assault, Scott said.
Twelve officers were designated as witness officers and interviewed, but none of the 12 could identify themselves or any other officers in the videos, Scott said.
The other three officers declined to provide a statement, as is their right, he said.
The process of identifying Constable Andalib-Goortani will be part of the case presented at trial.
Toronto police had no immediate comment following the noon-hour statement from the SIU.
Andalib-Goortani was scheduled to appear in court Jan. 24.
The SIU would like to thank videographer John Bridge for coming forward and sharing both the manner in which he shot his video, permitting himself to be identified and providing the Unit with his original video footage of the incident, Scott said.
The media and other members of the public also played a pivotal role in assisting the investigation.
The SIU investigates incidents involving police that result in death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
December 21, 2010
Lesley Ciarula Taylor
http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/c0/f4/466c504942948179196253b6a044.jpeg On Dec. 21, 2010, Ontario's Special Investigations Unit said one Toronto police officer had been charged with assault in connection with the violent arrest of G20 protester Adam Nobody on June 26, 2010.
TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Working with evidence in part supplied by the Toronto Star, investigators have charged an officer with assaulting a protester during the G20 summit.
There are reasonable grounds to believe that an officer . . . committed a criminal offence in connection with the arrest of Adam Nobody on June 26, Ian Scott, director of the Special Investigations Unit, said in a release Tuesday.
Const. Babak Andalib-Goortani was charged Tuesday morning with assault with a weapon.
The arrest comes less than a month after Toronto police Chief Bill Blair contended in a radio interview that a video of Nobody being roughed up during G20 demonstrations was significantly tampered with and fabricated.
Blair later apologized to Nobody.
The chiefs claim unleashed a flood of citizens evidence of the volatile demonstrations during a summit of world leaders that turned downtown Toronto into an armed camp.
First, the SIU declared there were no missing segments in the video of the incident posted by John Bridge on YouTube.
Then, the SIU released photographs of two bystanders recording Nobodys arrest and asked for their help. The Star provided a second video two days later, on Dec. 9.
The SIU received a third video from a member of the public.
Through an analysis of the video imagery and additional information gathered during the re-opened investigation, SIU investigators determined that three of the named 15 officers may have caused injuries to Mr. Nobody related to his first allegation of assault, Scott said.
Twelve officers were designated as witness officers and interviewed, but none of the 12 could identify themselves or any other officers in the videos, Scott said.
The other three officers declined to provide a statement, as is their right, he said.
The process of identifying Constable Andalib-Goortani will be part of the case presented at trial.
Toronto police had no immediate comment following the noon-hour statement from the SIU.
Andalib-Goortani was scheduled to appear in court Jan. 24.
The SIU would like to thank videographer John Bridge for coming forward and sharing both the manner in which he shot his video, permitting himself to be identified and providing the Unit with his original video footage of the incident, Scott said.
The media and other members of the public also played a pivotal role in assisting the investigation.
The SIU investigates incidents involving police that result in death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.