America
Indian-ethnic police officer loses judicial appeal in Canada
Toronto, April 2
Mandip Sandhu, a police
constable of Indian descent in Canada's Toronto city, has been taken
into custody to serve a 15-month jail term after an appeal of his
conviction and sentence for sexually assaulting a masseuse was
dismissed.
In written reasons, Justice Brian O'Marra on Wednesday
dismissed several grounds of appeal raised by Sandhu's lawyers, Alan
Gold and Melanie Webb, and upheld both the conviction and sentence, the
Toronto Star reported.
"The appellant was convicted of a crime
involving sexual violence and an egregious abuse of public trust and
authority. The length and manner of serving this custodial sentence do
not reflect an error in principle, nor is the sentence demonstrably
unfit," said O'Marra.
Sandhu, who had been an officer for 11
years prior to his arrest in 2010, was sentenced in June 2013 after a
three-day trial that ended in conviction.