Whistleblower claims RCMP targeting him
CBC News
Posted: Aug 27, 2012 8:33 PM ET
Last Updated: Aug 28, 2012 12:41 AM ET
A man who complained to the RCMP that one of its officers posted bondage photos online says that after he reported the Mountie, he and his wife were terrorized by police during a raid on their home.
The man, whose name is not being made public, told CBC News that the raid occurred after he reported to the RCMP that Cpl. Jim Brown, of Coquitlam, B.C., had posted several bondage-type photos of himself with women on a website with a purported 1.7 million members.
The RCMP is investigating Brown's connection to the photos.
But the man said several officers — bearing a warrant that said the search was being carried out as part of an investigation into alleged defamatory libel — raided his home and seized several computers and cell phones.
The man said the officers told his wife that he was likely cheating on her because he had been lurking on the website where he found the photos of Brown.
"After assisting the RCMP regarding this matter we have been targeted by those in Organized Crime Section," the man wrote in a letter to CBC News.
Raid followed blog posting
The raid on the whistleblower’s home came a few days after a blog was posted online by a group called the Re-Sergeance Alliance, which claims to represent 500 Mounties. The blog post alleged corruption by RCMP management and accused the force of trying to cover up Brown's scandalous photos.
The blog was quickly pulled down and all RCMP officers were advised of a new policy restricting members writing on social media.
RCMP Cpl. Jim Brown posed for several bondage photos on a social networking website. (Fetlife.com)Micheal Vonn, a lawyer with B.C. Civil Liberties Association, calls the RCMP actions an inappropriate use of police resources, because defamation belongs in civil court.
Vonn also said she believes the defamatory libel section of the Criminal Code is unconstitutional.
“When we look at these arcane, highly suspect provisions of the Code and we see the police going after their own critics, we have reason to be very concerned indeed,” said Vonn.
The RCMP has told CBC News there was no “raid” on the man’s home but a legal search that had judicial authorization and that its officers were respectful.
With files from the CBC's Natalie ClancyShare Tools
For The Record: Federal Court ruling on robocalls and electoral fraud by Kady O'Malley May. 23, 2013 9:16 PM Read the full decision here.
Top News Headlines
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford fires chief of staff
- A week after bombshell allegations that Toronto Mayor Rob ford was videotaped smoking crack, the mayor's chief of staff was fired and Ford is continuing to stonewall reporters. more »
- Federal Court won't remove MPs over robocall allegations
- The Federal Court says it won't throw six MPs out of their seats over allegations of widespread vote suppression through automated robocalls in the 2011 federal election. more »
- Alleged Ford crack video seller not responding to calls
- The journalist who broke the story alleging Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was recorded on video smoking crack cocaine says he may never be able to get his hands on the evidence. more »
- Bridge collapse on Washington interstate drops cars into water
- The Washington State Patrol says the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon has collapsed, dumping vehicles and people into the water. more »
Must Watch
Latest Politics News Headlines
- Duffy says he wants to give Canadians 'the whole story'
- Senator Mike Duffy says he wants a "full and open" inquiry so Canadians can get all the facts about the scandal that has rocked the Senate and the Prime Minister's Office and that he has no plans to resign. more »
- PMO refutes claim of no new appointments until Senate reform
- A senior Conservative MP said Thursday that the prime minister will not be appointing senators until there is "substantial reform" to the Senate — but a spokesman for Stephen Harper swiftly contradicted the claim, saying the preference remains appointing elected senators. more »
- Duffy expense claims reveal more about campaign travel
- Election spending records show additional days Senator Mike Duffy spent on the campaign trail in the 2011 election, including days he told the Senate he was on business, and days on which Deloitte auditors couldn't track him. more »
- 'Mistaken' Duffy asked Senate committee how much he owed
- Letters between Senator Mike Duffy and Senator David Tkachuk, head of the committee looking into his expenses, reveal that Duffy was at times an active participant in the committee's investigation. more »
The National
The House
- Questions mount for Harper and chief of staff Nigel Wright in Senate scandal May. 18, 2013 1:15 PM This week on The House, with Senators Wallin and Duffy now out of the Conservative caucus, we get reaction from NDP Ethics critic Charlie Angus. We also hear directly from Senator Patrick Brazeau who says the Conservatives have thrown him under the bus. Plus we speak with B.C. Premier Christy Clark after her stunning victory.
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford fires chief of staff
- 2nd suspect in Tim Bosma murder case to plead not guilty
- 2 more arrests linked to hacking death of British soldier
- Duffy says he wants to give Canadians 'the whole story'
- Vancouver man abandons Porsche on B.C. ferry
- Chained-teen's mom wants man who pleaded guilty 'to suffer'
- Montreal lifts boil-water advisory
- B.C. teen saves pet dog in 'terrifying' cougar attack
- Neil Macdonald: Harper no Obama when it comes to dealing with scandals
