The Toronto police officer charged with breach of trust in connection with a High Park suicide last year is alleged to have refused to help a citizen attempting to enlist him to stop a young man from taking his own life.Instead, according to Toronto police documents filed at the force’s disciplinary tribunal, Const. Kyle Upjohn falsely claimed to be on another call, instructed the citizen to call 911, then drove away without informing the police communications operator of a report of an ongoing suicide attempt in the park.The allegations shed new light on an incident first revealed last year when Ontario’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) announced criminal charges against Const. Kyle Upjohn in connection with the suicide of 19-year-old Alexandre Boucher on Feb. 2, 2016. The allegations are outlined in a Toronto police tribunal document, called a notice of hearing, which summarizes the Toronto police rationale for charging Upjohn with misconduct under the Police Services Act.None of the allegations have been tested at the Toronto police tribunal.Upjohn was initially charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessaries of life, but those charges were withdrawn late last year at the request of the Crown prosecutor. Gary Clewley, Upjohn’s lawyer, said shortly after the charges were withdrawn that his client never should have faced them in the first place, telling reporters outside court that “there was no evidence that the conduct alleged against the officer had anything to do with the death.”However, Upjohn still faces one count of criminal breach of trust, a charge laid by the SIU two months after the officer was first charged in connection with the incident. During a brief court hearing last week, a judicial pretrial on the charge was scheduled for next month.Clewley did not respond to requests for comment for this story. Upjohn faces three counts of professional misconduct ...
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