OPP officer contributed to Toronto's notorious tow truck industry, court hears
A decorated OPP officer became part of the problem of the GTA’s troubled tow truck industry when he played favourites and sent more than half a million dollars in tows to a tow truck company also featured in a reality TV show, according to a Superior Court justice.
Const. Bindo Showan pleaded guilty to breach of trust and was given a one year suspended sentence last week in a case that gives insight into one aspect of corruption in the tow truck industry that pulled in even an experienced officer with excellent reviews.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“The fact that this was a highly competitive industry rife with problems should have resulted in the police behaving with scrupulous care. Rather than being part of the solution, however, Mr. Showan became part of the problem,” Justice Gillian Roberts said in her address on Thursday.
But as for whether Showan himself got a kickback, Roberts said she didn’t have evidence either way.
“No evidence of personal gain means the Crown has not proved an aggravating factor. It does not mean that the defense has proved there was no personal gain,” she said.
Showan didn’t have anything to say when approached by a CTV News reporter outside Superior Court in Toronto.
Showan admitted in court that instead of following the policy of the first available tow truck, he sent more than $500,000 worth of towing jobs to businesses run by Steve Pillay, whose full name is Sutheshkumar Sitthambarpillay.
Pillay was a fixture on the reality show “Heavy Rescue 401” on Discovery, which, like CTV News, is a division of Bell Media. He also gave interviews to CTV News Toronto for several towing-related stories.
- READ MORE: Man charged in connection with alleged corruption in tow truck industry appeared on popular TV show
Steve Pillay, full name Sutheshkumar Sitthambarpillay, is seen in this image.
Of all the tows in a two-year period referred by Showan, about 78 per cent of them were sent to companies controlled by Pillay, Roberts said. It added up to about 250 tows, or more than two a week.
The pair communicated regularly over the phone, with their conversations intercepted by the OPP. Officers also tailed Showan, the judge said, but that surveillance was interrupted when Const. Showan — himself experienced in undercover work — noticed the officers, and he stopped referring tows.
Officers charged him in 2021 with breach of trust and accepting a benefit — one of four OPP officers charged at the time.
Tow truck companies in red are controlled by Steve Pillay.
This is hardly the only set of crimes related to the GTA’s troubled tow truck industry. Last year court heard how the Toronto Police’s Project Kraken cracked down on tow trucks involved in violent heists.
There have also been arsons, murders, and one guilty plea last week relating to obstruction of justice — covering up evidence in a shooting at a Scarborough gas bar, where video shows two tow trucks waiting nearby, their engines on.
A Toronto Police officer, Ronald Joseph, is accused of collecting kickbacks for collision tip-offs, staging a collision, and sharing a police radio — charges which have not been proven in court.
OPP officers were reminded not to play favourites several times, Roberts said Thursday. Since Showan’s arrest, the OPP has also introduced new checks and balances for its officers.
And on 400-series highways in the GTA, there are now new rules where only certain companies will be allowed to operate.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.