Cathy Von Kintzel, Truro, N.S. (Chronical Herald) - An Indian Brook RCMP officer will be sentenced May 16 for illegally obtaining a $51.50 HST credit for another person from the Nova Scotia and Canadian governments.
Const. Ron Lamb was supposed to stand trial in Truro provincial court on three HST-related charges Thursday.
Instead, he changed his plea to guilty to a Criminal Code charge that he did by false pretence obtain the credit for someone else by providing a false band number and false address, which exempted that person from paying HST.
Crown attorney Diane McGrath said outside the courtroom she could not go into detail about the offence, which occurred in May 2005, but said it involved the purchase of a bicycle.
“I can’t go beyond what’s on the record right now,” she said in response to media questions about the connection between the constable and the other person in the case.
Const. Lamb is suspended with pay pending the outcome of the case, and a spokesman for the Nova Scotia RCMP said Thursday information regarding the guilty plea will be sent to Ottawa for review by the force’s internal services.
“Officials will wait for the sentencing to see what the next course of action will be,” said Sgt. Mark Gallagher.
Ms. McGrath told the court she intends to formally withdraw two other charges of fraud on the day of sentencing.
Those charges alleged Const. Lamb defrauded the provincial and federal governments of $4,424.25 by identifying himself as a Status Indian employee, thereby exempting himself from submitting HST on April 1, 2005, and defrauding the governments of $51.50 in HST related to the charge to which he pleaded guilty.
A presentence report was ordered.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Justice // Feb 9, 2008 at 11:46
Heck that`s nothing Shediac RCMP Chief was charged with sexually assaulting one of his own officers wives in 2005 and all he got after he pled guilty in court was he was transfered… got his name on the sexual offenders data base though
2 GetReal // Feb 11, 2008 at 18:34
Lamb was probably on the fast track into the RCMP because he is native. I guess we cannot learn from the US when it comes to lowering standards.
3 speaking_my_mind // Feb 12, 2008 at 00:46
GetReal, I agree totally with what you said. However, I think Canada has surpassed the USA with this brand of lunacy. I currently spend a lot of time in the United States, and most of the state police organizations seems to be more merit based.
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