Crown drops child-porn charge against former RCMP member

KIRSTEN MURPHY

A single charge of possession of child pornography against former RCMP Cpl. Paul Richer was stayed on June 7.

A Toronto-based Crown lawyer decided there was no likely prospect of a conviction.

The Crown entered a stay, not a withdrawal, of the charge to allow re-opening the file within a year should new evidence come forward.

Richer was working in Baker Lake on Jan. 4, 2002, when the charge was laid.

Two weeks later, the 14-year RCMP veteran resigned and moved with his common-law spouse to southern Ontario.

Richer could not be reached for comment.

His lawyer, Michael Chandler, would not say what action, if any, his client may take to clear his name.

“I have not had an opportunity to talk to him very much so I don’t want to make any comment until we’ve had the opportunity to speak in more detail. I’m loathe to say anything until such time I have clearance from him or if he wants to speak to you himself,” Chandler said.

However, a friend of Richer who asked not to be named suggested the charge was the result of a “witch hunt.”

RCMP Inspector Jim MacDougal of Nunavut’s V Division said the charge followed a thorough police investigation.

“We treat that sort of investigation [possession of child pornography] the same, whether it’s one of our own members or a member of the public.

“We followed all avenues of the investigation and put the package forward to the Crown. Our job is to decide if there is reasonable, probable grounds to lay the charge. In this case obviously, we felt that there were,” MacDougall said.

MacDougall couldn’t discuss the circumstances or the evidence leading to the single-count charge.

“The stay of proceedings means he can be brought to court within a year and there’s always the possibility it will be brought back so to comment on the evidence would be premature,” he said.