A Sunshine Coast RCMP officer entered a guilty plea to common assault during a brief appearance in North Vancouver provincial court on Monday, May 27.
Cpl. Murray McNeil made the plea, which was a lesser offence, as he was originally charged with assault causing bodily harm. The trial was slated for several days this week.
McNeil will be back in provincial court in North Vancouver on July 31 for a sentencing hearing.
Crown counsel Wendy Stephens said the court appearance lasted no more than a minute.
"The charge was read and Mr. McNeil entered his plea," said Stephens. "It is an appropriate plea given the circumstances."
On June 28, 2011, McNeil conducted a traffic violation stop. An altercation occurred, which resulted in an arrest of an individual. That individual complained to the Commission for Public Complaints and an internal investigation was launched by the RCMP. No charges were ever laid against the complainant.
Following the investigation, McNeil was originally charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm. A parallel internal code of conduct investigation was also conducted and substantiated. Throughout the court proceedings, which originated in Sechelt provincial court and were later shifted to North Vancouver in April, McNeil was operational with the Sunshine Coast detachment and was working under close supervision.
Sgt. Rob Vermeulen, senior media relations officer with B.C. E division, said he could not provide any specific comments on the case, as the matter was still before the courts.
He did confirm, however, that McNeil is also facing an upcoming disciplinary (adjudication) hearing into the matter, but that a date has not been set yet.
"Those hearings are open to the public and you can obtain a copy of the proceedings after the fact," Vermeulen said. "These cases highlight that police officers are accountable for their actions, accountable to the public through the court process, and accountable to theForce through the formal discipline process."
