A Kamloops police officer who admitted to assaulting a homeless man while arresting him in 2017 will not have a criminal record if he stays out of trouble for 12 months, a judge has ruled.
RCMP Const. Todd Henderson was charged with one count of assault causing bodily harm following an incident in Sahali on Aug. 25, 2017. He pleaded guilty in December to the lesser included charge of assault and was sentenced on Tuesday.
Court heard Henderson was one of three Mounties who responded to an altercation between a homeless man and a bylaw officer in Sahali on Aug. 25, 2017.
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The bylaw officer was attempting to take a photo of the homeless man for records purposes.
When the man refused to stand for the photo, court heard, Henderson grabbed him by the neck and lifted him to his feet.
Henderson held the homeless man still while the photo was taken, then delivered two “knee strikes” to the man.
Henderson then pushed the man’s head into the side of his police truck while loading him into the vehicle.
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Kamloops provincial court Judge Roy Dickey granted Henderson a conditional discharge and placed him on a one-year term of probation, meaning he will have no criminal record if he completes the term without incident.
