(CBC News) – A man who complained to the RCMP that one of its officers posted bondage photos online says that after he reported the Mountie, he and his wife were terrorized by police during a raid on their home.
The man, whose name is not being made public, told CBC News that the raid occurred after he reported to the RCMP that Cpl. Jim Brown, of Coquitlam, B.C., had posted several bondage-type photos of himself with women on a website with a purported 1.7 million members.
The RCMP is investigating Brown’s connection to the photos.
But the man said seven officers — bearing a warrant that said the search was being carried out as part of an investigation into alleged defamatory libel — raided his home and seized several computers and cell phones.
The man said the officers told his wife that he was likely cheating on her because he had been lurking on the website where he found the photos of Brown.
“After assisting the RCMP regarding this matter we have been targeted by those in Organized Crime Section,” the man wrote in a letter to CBC News.
The raid on the whistleblower’s home came a few days after a blog was posted online by a group called the Re-Sergeance Alliance, which claims to represent 500 Mounties. The blog post alleged corruption by RCMP management and accused the force of trying to cover up Brown’s scandalous photos.
The blog was quickly pulled down and all RCMP officers were advised of a new policy restricting members writing on social media.
Micheal Vonn, a lawyer with B.C. Civil Liberties Association, calls the RCMP actions an inappropriate use of police resources, because defamation belongs in civil court.
Vonn also said she believes the defamatory libel section of the Criminal Code is unconstitutional.
“When we look at these arcane, highly suspect provisions of the Code and we see the police going after their own critics, we have reason to be very concerned indeed,” said Vonn.
he RCMP has told CBC News there was no “raid” on the man’s home but a legal search that had judicial authorization and that its officers were respectful.
[Source]
Watchdogs fear raid politically motivated
Byron Chu, QMI Agency
Vancouver, B.C.
August 27, 2012
Government and police watchdog groups are concerned a police raid at the home of a man connected with a whistle-blower Internet blog targeting RCMP corruption was politically motivated.
About a half-dozen officers, using a warrant for defamatory libel, seized several computers and cellphones from the man, who helped to set up the Re-Sergeance Alliance blog site. He also recently assisted the Mounties in finding online photos of Coquitlam, B.C., RCMP Cpl. Jim Brown engaged in graphic S&M activities.
Brown, who was involved in the investigation into serial killer pig farmer Robert Pickton, was cleared of wrongdoing by the force in 2010 before a new probe was ordered in July.
Michael Vonn, policy director for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said this type of warrant is rarely used.
“Almost invariably when it’s invoked, it’s a critic of the police,’’ Vonn said. “This should concern all Canadians.”
Police investigating a crime against themselves creates “a massive accountability deficit here.”
Lawyer Cameron Ward, who is representing the families of Pickton’s victims at the Missing Women Inquiry, is concerned officers involved in the raid were aware of his private discussions with the suspect.
“I’m concerned with whether the RCMP have been intercepting my communications and, more importantly, why such a response was deemed necessary,’’ Ward said.
Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, called the timing of the raid “very suspicious.’’
“Obviously this blog embarrassed the RCMP and its senior staff,’’ Bateman said.
“They better have a rock solid legal reason for going in there.’’
The man under investigation by the RCMP requested anonymity for fears of his personal safety. He wrote in a letter to the media that he believes he is being targeted as the “truth emerges that they were responsible for uncovering Jim Brown’s secrets years ago and not dealing with them.”
Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/08/27/watchdogs-fear-raid-politically-motivated