Police officer pleads guilty to discreditable conduct after 'unwanted' contact with domestic violence victim

A Toronto Police Service logo patch is shown in Toronto, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A longtime Toronto police officer pleaded guilty to professional misconduct on Wednesday after he was found to have engaged in unwanted contact with a domestic violence victim that included calling a shelter she was staying at after she blocked his number.

Toronto Police Const. Andrew Corkill, currently on leave, pleaded guilty to two counts of discreditable conduct in relation to the conduct via his lawyer at the tribunal on Wednesday.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Corkill was on duty in January of this year when he was called to help a victim of domestic violence retrieve her belongings from her residence before going to a shelter. While there, he was found to have given the woman his personal cell phone number and told her to call him if needed.

“Over several weeks you engaged in personal contact with the victim, which made the victim feel uncomfortable. She ultimately explained to you through a text message that she was a married woman and she respects her status,” the document reads.

The victim then indicated to Corkill her desire to end all communications with him and proceeded to block his number, according to the document. The victim learned after she moved out of the shelter that Corkill had been calling the facility looking for her, it states.

In Corkill’s defence, his counsel argued that there was a “lens” in which he had been trying to help the woman, but that his efforts had crossed professional boundaries. He suggested that his client hadn’t contacted the victim for “nefarious” reasons.

In turn, the prosecution argued the misconduct represented “a serious departure from expectations of police officers.”

The tribunal also heard that, in 2022, Corkill sent a tenant of his an eviction notice using Toronto police stationery and stamps.

“In doing so you improperly use Toronto Police Service resources in a matter which was a private dispute,” the agreed statement of facts reads.

The officer also later used the CPIC database to run checks on a prospective tenant, the statement of facts said.

Corkill was not present when he pleaded guilty to the two misconduct charges on Wednesday. His lawyer, Peter Brauti, did not respond to comment by CTV News in time for publication, but told the court his client has “serious mental health issues” stemming from years of calls involving “violence and death.”

Capotosto and Brauti presented a joint submission before hearing officer Supt. Shane Branton, together arguing a six-month demotion was appropriate.

A sentence is set to be decided upon at a later date.

Separately, Corkill is facing criminal charges of fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust following an arrest in September. Few details of the alleged crimes have been released and he has not yet appeared before the tribunal for misconduct allegations connected to the criminal charges. The charges have not been proven in court.

Since his arrest in 2021, Corkill has been suspended from the service with pay.

When reached for comment, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) said it cannot speak to matters that are currently before the courts.