News Release
No Basis to Lay Charges in Relation to Interaction with Woman at Guelph Police Station
Case Number: 19-OCI-102
Following her May 2019 arrest for having breached a condition of her conditional sentence, a 39-year-old woman was in the process of being booked at the police station in Guelph when she objected to having a diamond ring removed from her finger. Officers managed to get the ring off, and the woman was lodged in a cell. Later that day, paramedics were called to examine the woman after she complained about pain in her ring finger. The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against any officer in relation to this case.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
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