(Canadian Press) – A 27-year-old Ottawa woman shown being kneed and having her top cut off in an Ottawa police cellblock video is suing police.
Stacy Bonds names the Ottawa Police Service, Chief Vern White and several officers as defendants in her suit, launched Friday in Toronto.
In her statement of claim, Bonds alleges some or all of the defendants infringed her charter rights and led to her being negligently and maliciously prosecuted.
Bonds is seeking $1.2 million in damages and the destruction of all records concerning the 2008 incident that is the subject of her claim.
After seeing the cellblock video, Justice Richard Lajoie stayed charges of public intoxication and assault against Bonds and criticized police conduct.
Statements of claim contain allegations that have not been proven in court.
Lajoie said he was “appalled” that Bonds was strip-searched in the presence of male officers and called the incident an “indignity.”
Bonds’s statement of claim says that while she was being “held securely” by two male officers, Special Const. Melanie Morris “brutally assaulted and battered” her.
Police officer reassigned
“Morris administered two shattering blows to the plaintiff’s kidney area with her knee, with intent to cause excruciating pain,” the statement alleges.
After that, “Morris conducted a highly intrusive, unnecessary and unlawful search” and when Bonds objected, Morris “struck the plaintiff’s head with a closed fist,” the claim says.
Bonds says she was then pinned to the floor with a riot shield and her top and bra were cut off.
Bonds, who had soiled herself during the incident, says she was then “frog-marched” to a cell and confined, naked from the waist up, for more than three hours.
Bonds claims that “emotional and physical trauma” suffered during the incident has left her unable to sleep and “fearful of police.”
Morris has been reassigned to desk duties pending an investigation.
Police have 20 days to respond with a statement of defence.
This settlement will cost a bucket of money and to be honest Ms. Bonds deserves every penny.
Hopefully the career of some officers will be ended, they can’t justify their existence as LEO’s
Just think of what the story would be if there wasn’t Video Surveillance. Ms Bonds would be called a liar and nothing more would happen.
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This is a tragic story of two women. Ms. Bonds who allegedly was the the victim of excess use of force and humiliation by the police. This is also a tragic story for Ms. Morris who may have been trying to prove herself in front of male colleagues.
The onus on behaviour is required by Ms. Morris because she took an oath. More supervision and enhanced cameras will not take the place of common sense, good judgement, and self discipline.
Citizens must be allowed to save personal face. Police officers must strive to save professional face.
Calvin Lawrence
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