A Prince Albert police officer dismissed more than six years ago for “discreditable conduct” has lost his appeal to be reinstated.
On Dec. 6, 2017, the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan found that a lower court was correct in upholding the dismissal of Patrick Robin, a former constable with the Prince Albert Police Service. Robin was fired from the service after he prosecuted a case without authorization, lied to an investigator and accused superior officers of obstructing justice.
The facts of the case were not in dispute.
Robin had served with the Prince Albert Police Service for three years when he received a call, in 2009, about erratic driving near a soccer field. He ticketed the driver, who subsequently complained that Robin had behaved rudely.
According to the judgement, Robin “was displeased by the driver’s complaint and thought he was being treated unfairly.” He was even more displeased, apparently, that a Crown prosecutor decided to drop the charge against the driver.
“The appellant then decided to take the matter to trial himself,” the appeal court judges wrote. “His principle motivation was his belief that if the driver was found guilty, it would relieve pressure on him in relation to the driver’s complaint.”
For more on this story, please read the Prince Albert Daily Herald’s subscription-based print or e-editions.
