Toronto cop handed temporary demotion after 'harassing' domestic violence victim, dispute with tenant: tribunal

A Toronto police officer has been handed a temporary demotion after a disciplinary tribunal found that he “harassed” a victim of domestic violence and used official police stationery in the eviction of his tenant.

On Feb. 19, Const. Andrew Corkill of the Toronto Police Service was handed two six-month demotions, from 1st Class Constable to 2nd, to be served concurrently.

• Download our app to ger alerts on your device
• Get the latest local updates right to your inbox

The decision comes after Corkill pleaded guilty to two counts of professional misconduct back in December.

Corkill, currently on leave pending a separate set of criminal charges laid on him in September, was most recently stationed with 53 Division. He has been with the service since 2001.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Corkill was on duty in January 2023 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 cellphone 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 used Toronto police stationary to mislead Toronto Hydro into believing a tenant of his was vacating the property later than expected, resulting in several months of improper billing.

“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 late last year.

His lawyer, Peter Brauti, did not respond to a request for comment by CTV News in time for publication but previously told the tribunal that his client has “serious mental health issues” stemming from years of calls involving “violence and death.”

At the December hearing, Brauti and police prosecutor Matthew Capotosto presented a joint submission before hearing officer Supt. Shane Branton, together arguing a six-month demotion was appropriate.

“I am aware that I am not bound by the joint submission on sentence, but on the totality of the evidence before me. I have found no compelling reason to depart from the joint submission,” Branton later wrote in the penalty decision.

According to the most recent filings, Corkill is also facing a civil lawsuit launched by the tenant, who is seeking $92,000 in damages.

Criminal case

In September, Corkill was charged with fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust. 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.

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