- Update: The Special Investigations Unit in Ontario has announced that they are currently not looking into the alleged police assault.
An attorney recounts being left bloodied and swollen following an incident where multiple Durham Regional police officers purportedly forcefully slammed her head onto a desk, removed her head scarf, and forcibly escorted her to the basement cells at the Oshawa courthouse last week.
Based on a statement released by her legal representative, Neha Chugh, the defense lawyer Sudine Riley had just completed a trial late on Friday and was catching up on legal work in an interview room when uniformed officers questioned her presence in the room.
Chugh described in her statement that the police officers, who were acting as security personnel, aggressively pushed Riley’s head onto the desk, placed their knees on her back and neck, and communicated with her in a manner filled with anger, disrespect, and disdain.
Subsequently, the officers allegedly forcibly removed Riley from the room in handcuffs and transported her to the basement cells at the courthouse.
Chugh’s statement detailed that during the altercation, Riley’s head scarf was torn off, her skirt was lifted by the officers, and she sustained injuries to her head and eye from the forceful impact on the desk.
The statement emphasized that Riley had not committed any offense except for being a diligent Black female lawyer dedicated to the pursuit of justice.
The statement by Chugh did not specify the number of officers involved in the incident.
The Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) confirmed to CBC News that they have initiated an investigation into the events that transpired shortly after 5 p.m. at the courthouse on Jan. 23.
In a statement to CBC News, Sgt. Janalyn Dowdle from DRPS mentioned that they are collaborating with court services to gather and assess all the evidence related to the incident.
When asked if DRPS would hand over the investigation to an external police service due to the allegations implicating their own officers, Dowdle’s response email stated, “The allegations arising from this matter are being taken with the utmost seriousness.”
“DRPS has dedicated appropriate investigative and oversight resources to comprehensively comprehend the circumstances and decide on any further necessary actions,” the email from Dowdle conveyed.
Dowdle indicated that no additional information is available currently as the investigation remains ongoing.
Legal Professionals on High Alert: Advocacy Group
While these allegations have not been verified in court, concerns regarding safety have been expressed by legal professionals at the Oshawa courthouse.
Women in Canadian Criminal Defence (WICCD), an advocacy group comprising 800 lawyers nationwide, penned a letter to Ontario Court Justice Lara Crawford, the administrative judge at the courthouse, seeking assurance that essential safety measures had been implemented before their members resume work at the courthouse this week.
Cassandra DeMelo, a practicing defense lawyer in London, Ont., and the president of WICCD, described the situation as “unsettling” and mentioned that she took the “extraordinary measure” of writing a letter to the justice due to the urgency felt by the group.
“It’s alarming. It has left us all on edge,” DeMelo shared in an interview with CBC News on Tuesday.
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