A Toronto police officer facing professional misconduct charges in connection to the investigation into serial killer Bruce McArthur is requesting an independent judge hear the case. In a brief hearing Tuesday morning at Toronto police headquarters, the disciplinary tribunal heard the case of Sgt. Paul Gauthier, who is charged with neglect of duty and insubordination in connection to the McArthur investigation. Gauthier’s charge stems from a 2016 encounter between the serial killer and Toronto police that came after a man reported McArthur had attempted to strangle him during a sexual encounter. McArthur was arrested but let go with no charges. Gauthier, a former member of the force’s sex crime unit, was not present at the tribunal. He was represented by Toronto lawyer Lawrence Gridin, who formally requested an independent adjudicator. “You have no independence from the chief of police,” Gridin told the hearing officer, Toronto police Insp. Richard Hegedus.“This is a matter obviously that has some sensitivity, it’s a matter of great public interest, as evidenced by the fact that there’s a room packed full of media present. And accordingly, this matter deserves the transparency and accountability that the Toronto police service strives for and that can only be achieved by the appointment of a judge.”Read more:What we learned from Day 1 of serial killer Bruce McArthur’s sentencingFriends, relatives of victims to speak at McArthur sentencing hearing todayOpinion | DiManno: A note in a calendar led to McArthur’s undoingGridin had begun discussing how, in December 2017, police chief Mark Saunders held a press conference denying the existence of a serial killer at work in Toronto’s Gay Village. “We now know, because this matter’s up in court, and there’s been an agreed statement of facts files, details have come out… that the information at the press conference was not correct.&# ...
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