Charges against a Surrey police officer accused of assaulting two civilians three years ago have been stayed.
The lawyer for RCMP Const. Imran Saeed argued last month that two counts of assault laid in connection to a May 2009 incident should be tossed because the case took too long to get to trial. The 30-month delay, said defence lawyer Maegan Richards, violated Saeed's right to be tried in a reasonable amount of time.
A stay of proceedings was granted Monday morning (June 4) in Chilliwack Provincial Court.
Surrey's Chris Stojak was one of two men Saeed was accused of assaulting during an arrest three years ago. Stojak said he wasn't surprised the charges had been stayed.
"I guess the cops are above the law," he said. "This is not going to send a good message to the public."
Saeed, who had two years on patrol at the time of the incident, has been on desk duties since 2009.
Stojak has also filed a civil suit against Saeed and two other Mounties, as well as the officer in charge of the Surrey detachment. In that lawsuit, it's alleged Saeed struck Stojak "no fewer than three times about the head and face" while he was handcuffed in the back seat of a RCMP cruiser after being arrested (but not charged) during a domestic disturbance call. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Saeed is also facing a separate criminal assault charge in connection to an unrelated February 2009 incident where he and another RCMP officer are accused of using excessive force against a woman during a routine traffic stop. That trial is scheduled to begin Monday (June 11).
Once the court process is complete, Saeed will face an internal RCMP disciplinary hearing.