Lawyer Peter Brauti alleged Wednesday that Andrew Wallace, the hospital worker who photographed Dorian Barton on a Queen’s Park lawn in June 2010 after he was injured, purposely deleted a digital photo that would help acquit the accused officer by showing he was not committing an assault.
“The picture that was taken at the most critical moment was deleted,” the defence lawyer said in his final arguments in the assault trial of Weddell, a Toronto police officer.
Brauti suggested Wallace was motivated by his anger at police for wrongfully accusing him of a sex assault many years ago. The charges were dropped.
Crown prosecutor Peter Scrutton defended Wallace as credible, independent and having no axe to grind. “This whole business of a deleted photo is a complete red herring,” he told Justice M. Gregory Ellies.
It’s reasonable Wallace might not have taken a photo showing the actual assault because he would not start photographing Weddell until he noticed the officer hitting Barton with his shield and baton, Scrutton argued.
Weddell, 49, has pleaded not guilty in Ontario Superior Court to assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon. He is the first police officer to face a criminal trial in connection with the G20 events.
Barton, 32, testified he had not heard any police orders to disperse and was taking photographs of mounted officers when he was hit hard, apparently by a riot shield, throwing him to the ground. He was hit five or more times, but did not see who attacked him, he said.
The judge is to render his verdict Friday.
Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Peter Small
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