Police officers plead not guilty in beating of delivery man
Last Updated: Friday, March 27, 2009 | 8:20 PM PT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
Two police officers charged with assault and robbery in connection with the January beating of a newspaper delivery man in downtown Vancouver have pleaded not guilty.
The pleas were entered in B.C. provincial court on Friday morning.
Const. Jeff Klassen of New Westminster Police was charged with one count of assault, while Const. Griffin Gillan of West Vancouver Police was charged with one count of robbery.
The charges stem from an incident in January, when 47-year-old Phil Khan alleges he was beaten and robbed of $200 by three police officers. The attack took place on the 600-block of Burrard Street, outside a hotel where Khan was making a delivery.
Khan has said the men smelled of alcohol and uttered racial slurs when they launched the unprovoked attack on him.
A third officer who was present the night of the incident, a member of Delta Police, was not charged, as investigators concluded he tried to stop the attack.
That officer is expected to testify against his colleagues at trial.
The lawyer representing Klassen and Gillan asked the judge on Friday for a fall court date. He was told, however, it could be mid-to-late spring next year before the men stand trial.
The delay is because police have informed the courts they will be unavailable for the weeks before, during and after the Olympics. Several of the Crown’s 16 planned witnesses are police officers.
Klassen and Gillan did not appear in court on Friday.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Homicide follows Vancouver family argument
- One person is dead following an apparent family argument in a Vancouver home Tuesday, police say. more »
- Adults told B.C. teen had taken ecstasy
- A B.C. court has been told that two adults had been told a teenage B.C. girl later found dead had taken ecstasy before a party at the home of the woman charged in relation to the death. more »
- Tires slashed on more than 100 cars in Surrey
- At least 100 cars have had their tires slashed in a widespread vandalism spree in Surrey Tuesday, police say. more »
- B.C. Mountie drank to 'calm nerves' after fatal crash
- An off-duty RCMP officer involved in a deadly collision told a police officer he'd taken two shots of vodka after the crash to "calm his nerves," a B.C. court has heard - but his lawyer says the statement should be dissallowed. more »
Top News Headlines
- Air Canada confident it can reach deal with pilots
- Travellers flying Air Canada can keep booking their flights as negotiations continue with a new federally appointed mediator to help resolve an ongoing contract dispute between the airline and its pilots. more »
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Four former B.C. attorneys general are joining a coalition of health and justice experts calling for the legalization of marijuana. more »
- Whitney Houston's funeral to be held Saturday
- Pop star Whitney Houston's funeral service will be held Saturday in the New Jersey church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child. more »
- Online surveillance bill targets child porn: Toews
- A bill that would give police and intelligence agencies new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications is needed to protect against child pornography, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. more »
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Botox injected by unlicensed practitioners
- Tires slashed on more than 100 cars in Surrey
- B.C. Mountie drank to 'calm nerves' after fatal crash
- Homicide follows Vancouver family argument
- 1925 Vancouver mansion listed below lot value
- Adults told B.C. teen had taken ecstasy
- Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop
- Crown seeks up to 18 months for Stanley Cup rioter
