Policy

Convicted of Corruption, Toronto Cops Fight to Escape Prison Sentence

Obstructing justice is very naughty

|

The former boss of an elite Toronto drug squad with an "exemplary" service record should be spared a jail sentence for attempting to obstruct justice, his lawyer says.

Retired Det.-Sgt. John Schertzer and four former cohorts were convicted of doctoring their notes to falsely claim they had a warrant when they searched a heroin dealer's apartment in 1998.

But it was not for corrupt reasons, but for a good investigative motive, said his lawyer, Alan Gold on Tuesday.

It was "a one-off transgression in an otherwise exemplary career," Gold told Ontario Superior Court Justice Gladys Pardu at the five defendants' sentencing hearing. "His performance records are impeccable."