Lawyer of man punched in face by Ottawa bylaw officer wants case heard in provincial court
Posted Jun 8, 2020 08:28:00 PM.
A local criminal attorney continues to fight the City of Ottawa over an incident in which one of its bylaw officers punched a man in the face and was then given a minor charge.
David Anber says the incident happened after his client disobeyed a COVID-19 emergency order by playing in a park with his daughter this past April.
The lawyer tells 1310 NEWS' The Rob Snow Show on Monday, he feels the city has swept the matter under the rug and is not holding the officer accountable for an assault that he has admitted to.
Anber says the bylaw officer was slapped with a pre-law diversion charge, which is normally issued to someone who has committed a non-violent crime. He thinks the Ottawa police investigation fell short in this case.
The attorney adds that his client was punched in the face after refusing to give his name to the bylaw officer.
“There's no suggestion by anybody, not the Ottawa police nor the bylaw officer, that there was any necessity for the physical force to have been used in this particular case. This was not a necessary part of the officer's duties.”
Anber wants more accountability for the bylaw officer's action and is pushing for the case to be heard in provincial courts.
