An Abbotsford police officer has been handed a 17-month conditional sentence after pleading guilty to a single count of breach of trust last September.
Christopher Nicholson was arrested in 2013 and originally charged with 10 counts of obstruction of justice and breach of trust, after an external criminal investigation by Vancouver police.
He was accused of lying to judges to obtain search warrants, warning a drug dealer when police were coming and even sending drugs to another dealer — then telling police to obtain a warrant to bust them.
In delivering the sentence, a B.C. Supreme Court judge told Nicholson that he had betrayed his fellow officers, on whom his conduct reflected.
At the hearing, Nicholson’s defence argued that he had merely crossed a line, while the Crown said his actions cut to the heart of the justice system.
Both sides agreed to a joint submission of six months’ house arrest followed by 11 months under a midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew.
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Nicholson remains suspended without pay from the Abbotsford Police Department (APD).
In a statement, the APD said it was pleased to see Nicholson’s case conclude.
According to the statement, the Police Act disciplinary process will continue, and could potentially lead to Nicholson being removed from the force.
In February 2015, a further review of Nicholson’s case led to the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC) announcing an investigation into 148 allegations, including corrupt practice, deceit and neglect of duty, against Nicholson and 16 other officers.
In February 2017, the OPCC dropped the investigation into the vast majority of those allegations due to a court ruling that blocked investigators from seeing evidence related to confidential informants.
It said 15 allegations against four Abbotsford police officers remain under investigation.
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