A prison guard who fails to intervene with an inmate crying out in pain from a hip fracture may have committed a criminal offense. This was terminated by the British Columbia Office of Independent Investigations in a decision released today. (New window) Wednesday.
A man spent the night on May 11, 2019 reporting his illness to the guard at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police cell in Prince George. The caregiver chose to ignore her plea for help.
The organization believes that the sitter’s conduct constitutes a violation of his or her legal duty to provide the necessities of life and possibly equivalent to torture. But because the guard was not part of a police force and he was a civilian employee, the Office of Independent Investigations had no authority to refer his case to the Crown prosecutor to be considered for criminal charges.
The case is largely the responsibility of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
However, on the side of RCMP, the investigation ended and did not lead to cases. The organization said its own investigation had revealed clearly unacceptable conduct, but there is not enough evidence to recommend criminal charges.
However, the guard was suspended for two months due to another incident and then banned from working in support of the operations of the RCMP.
However, the Prince George Detachment added cell monitoring staff and a civilian operations supervisor.
In a written response, the Municipality of Prince George, which is the boss of the prison guards, indicated that the City will not comment publicly on personnel matters.
The Chief Civil Officer of the British Columbia Office of Independent Investigations, Ronald MacDonald, also concluded that, collectively, the staff of RCMP the night shift failed in its duty to provide proper care to the inmate.
However, the Bureau considers that the members of the police force who brought the man to the detachment cannot be held accountable by law because they do not have the medical expertise to know that his life may be in danger.
Man arrested with hip fracture
In Prince George, on May 11, 2019, a man on a bicycle was stopped and arrested for refusing to cooperate and for possession of a firearm. Videos taken by witnesses show that at the time of the arrest, the man appeared to be seriously injured and unable to walk.
Later, a medical examination confirmed that he had already had a hip fracture at the time of the arrest.
He was taken to a cell and then tried to seek medical help from the guard. A witness who was in the cell said that the wounded man who was lying on the ground cried out in pain all night and he received no help.
Until the next morning another guard called for an ambulance, which took over around 5 p.m.
At the hospital, the inmate was diagnosed with a broken hip caused by the fall. A medical expert in the Office of Independent Investigations said he had suffered severe pain and he should have received medical help earlier because a fractured hip could cause life -threatening bleeding.
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
