VANCOUVER – An officer found guilty of deceit, neglect and corruption under the BC Police Act now awaits a decision by the Vancouver Police Board.
Vancouver police Sgt. Randy Fincham said in a statement issued Thursday the board is considering cutting off the officer’s pay.
The officer has been with the force for 13 years.
He was placed on administrative leave and suspended with pay in 2011 after allegations surfaced that he lied during a homicide investigation into the 2001 death of an Oak Bay, B.C., man.
Oak Bay Chief Const. Mark Fisher said in a news release the officer is also alleged to have accessed restricted police databases without authorization and then revealed case details to a person involved in the investigation.
Fisher said the officer also allegedly failed to provide knowledge he had of the death to police.
Owen Padmore was found in his home with severe head injuries on Dec. 9, 2001. The 31-year-old died the next day.
Fisher said an autopsy revealed the head trauma was consistent with a fall, and Padmore’s death was ruled accidental.
However, new information led the police to reopen the case in 2008, eventually interviewing the Vancouver officer in 2011.
Fisher said the officer provided information that had direct relevance to the arrest of a suspect, but the officer later recanted portions of his statements.
Three people were arrested in connection with Padmore’s death, but all three were released and no one has ever been convicted.
The investigation remains open.
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