(Late Post. Original on October 29, 2024)
/PG/ Hamilton, Ontario [Canada] (Signal High) for BadCop.Online —– Hamilton Regional Police Detective Craig Ruthowsky will serve the longest police corruption sentence in Canadian history.
Ruthowsky was scheduled to begin his second trial Tuesday, but instead the crown, defense and judge struck a “deal” (in less than ten minutes) to stay the sixteen charges — including including bribery, breach of trust, obstruction of justice, weapons and cocaine trafficking. Ruthowsky agreed not to take his first set of convictions to the supreme court in exchange for the second set of changes being stayed (effectively dropped).
Toss in a publication ban, and orders to seal records, and the public will never know the details of the allegations against Ruthowsky.
The Crown has no legal obligation to explain why it requested a stay of proceedings. However, in this case, assistant crown attorney John Pollard offered a lengthy explanation: “Mr. Ruthowsky’s matters have rightly attracted significant media attention and public scrutiny, especially here in Hamilton. The allegations are serious and have the potential to affect public confidence in the administration of justice.” So instead of witnessing justice being done, the citizens of Hamilton will have to settle for a backroom deal designed to protect the police.
Ruthowsky was paid $240,000 over the course of a year to protect known drug dealers from police prosecution. He used police resources to test the purity of cocaine being sold by a rival dealer. The sixteen charges in relation to his criminal activities will never be heard. As if this isn’t bad enough, the scandal led to the dismissal of fifty connected federal drug cases.
Rob Hansen, another Hamilton cop that worked with Ruthowsky, has also been convicted of corruption charges, drawing a police salary until he was sentenced. Christine Ruthowsky-Bezeau, also a police officer with the Hamilton police, and wife of Ruthowsky, has been on paid leave for more than twelve years. Ruthowsky continued to draw a salary from Hamilton police for six years, until he resigned. The happy couple was not present in court.
The all-for-naught investigation and prosecution took nine years, and cost taxpayers millions.
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