The Officer of the Police Complaint Commissioner has found an Abbotsford officer who pleaded guilty to assault involving a shoplifter in 2009 also lied about the incident.
Photograph by: Submitted , TIMES
An Abbotsford police officer is facing disciplinary action for using unnecessary force and making false statements after a public hearing by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.
Const. Adam Page responded to a shoplifting call at London Drugs in Seven Oaks Shopping Centre on Sept. 20, 2009.
Video surveillance showed Page grab Darrell Kerr, who was seated on a bench in an office, turn him around in a combination arm and head lock and slam him into the wall with enough force to fracture the dry wall.
Kerr was being detained for allegedly stealing an electric toothbrush.
In his duty report, Page claimed he accidentally stepped on Kerr, lost his balance, and fell forward, pushing Kerr into the wall. He repeated the same claim to an Abbotsford Police member investigating allegations of misconduct against Page.
Page's explanations "were contrived and intended to mislead others so that they would believe his use of force was justified in the circumstances," said adjudicator Ian Pitfield in a decision released Monday.
Page's statements contradicted the audio-video recording to an extent they were "unbelievable," said Pitfield.
"Nothing but intent to mislead can explain the contradictions," he said.
Pitfield's decision only covered the allegation of deceit. Page admitted to abuse of authority during the course of the two-day public hearing that ended last Friday.
Page was criminally charged with assault in relation to the incident.
He pleaded guilty on April 12, 2012, and was given a conditional discharge and one-year probation.
He remains on active duty with the Abbotsford police force, said a spokesman with the OPCC.
The adjudicator will decide on the appropriate discipline for Page pending submissions from counsel.
