Toronto officer who arrested, released Bruce McArthur found not guilty of disciplinary charges
![Paul Gauthier Paul Gauthier is seen in this undated photo.](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2019/2/5/paul-gauthier-1-4283421-1629766651712.jpg)
A Toronto police officer who was facing disciplinary charges in connection with the 2016 arrest and release of serial killer Bruce McArthur has been found not guilty.
Sgt. Paul Gauthier was charged with insubordination and neglect of duty under the Police Services Act in connection with his handling of a complaint by a man who alleged McArthur tried to strangle him.
Following the complaint, he interviewed McArthur, but released him without charges.
Gauthier pleaded not guilty to the charges in 2019 and he was acquitted on all counts on Monday.
"I will not pretend that this investigation was perfect," retired Supt. Dave Andrews said in the decision. "It was not."
"While I would have preferred further steps to be taken, nothing has been presented to demonstrate, to any degree of certainty, that had those steps been taken, Sergeant Gauthier could have formed reasonable grounds."
In 2019, Gauthier penned a letter to his colleagues stating that he believed he was being used as a "scapegoat" over the police handling of the McArthur investigation.
"There have been many sleepless nights thinking about McArthur’s unspeakable crimes, his victims and their families, and the fact that my employer has effectively set me up to be their fall guy for all of this," Gauthier said.
McArthur pleaded guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Andrew Kinsman, Selim Esen, Majeed Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi, Dean Lisowick, Skandaraj Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi and Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam.
The men were murdered by McArthur between 2010 and 2017. All eight of the victims had ties to Toronto's gay village.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6938298.1719229990!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Princess Anne sustains injuries and concussion in an 'incident,' Buckingham Palace says
Princess Anne sustained minor injuries and a concussion following an incident on an estate in southwest England, the Buckingham Palace said Monday.
This U.S. company is selling products with human fecal matter to Canadians. What does Health Canada think about it?
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to a company appearing to sell products containing human fecal matter without approval from the agency.
This is what the heat wave was like in one of Canada's densest neighbourhoods
This is what it was like in a Toronto neighbourhood where 30,000 people live during a scorching heat wave.
Lifeguard and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor dies after apparent shark attack in Hawaii
A lifeguard and surf instructor – who also appeared in movies including 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' and 'Blue Crush' - died Sunday following an apparent shark attack on the North Shore of Ohau, Hawaii, according to officials.
At least 16 dead in a fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea
A fire at a lithium battery manufacturing factory near South Korea's capital on Monday left at least 16 people dead, seven injured and six missing, officials said.
Is Trump shielded from criminal charges as an ex-president? A nation awaits word from U.S. Supreme Court
In the coming days, the U.S. Supreme Court will confront a perfect storm mostly of its own making: a trio of decisions stemming directly from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Researchers have found a 'clear genetic trigger for obesity' that applies to some people
Experts have long known there is a genetic component to obesity, and a new study identified one particular gene that may be behind it.
A year ago, her engagement ring vanished at a hospital. She still cherishes the man who gave it to her
When Faye Bauman went to a Florida hospital for surgery last year, she handed her diamond engagement ring to a nurse — and never saw it again. The ring carries profound memories of her late husband and the moment he proposed to her 57 years ago.
Canada to announce tariff plan for Chinese EV, battery imports following U.S., Europe
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is expected to announce this morning a plan for potential tariffs to protect Canada's electric vehicle supply chain from unfair Chinese competition.