Toronto police officer to appear before disciplinary tribunal in connection with McArthur investigation
A Toronto police officer facing professional misconduct charges in connection with a domestic incident involving serial killer Bruce McArthur is scheduled to appear before a disciplinary tribunal on Tuesday.
McArthur was arrested in 2016 for assault for choking a man in the back of his van. The man escaped after a struggle, but police never laid any charges.
The arrest happened the year before the disappearances of McArthur’s final two victims, Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman.
Global News learned that 32 Division Det. Paul Gauthier was charged with neglect of duty and insubordination related to the incident.
Gauthier’s lawyer said the decision to release McArthur was made in consultation with Gauthier’s superior and “based on the information available at the time.”
“Det. Gauthier conducted a proper investigation and fully documented the arrest of McArthur so that the information was available to all other investigators,” he wrote in a statement.
“McArthur’s monstrous nature was difficult to uncover because he led a life of extreme deception, not because of anything to do with the 2016 arrest. Det. Gauthier has great sympathy for the victims and the community.”
The force’s professional standards unit launched an internal investigation related to the McArthur case in March 2018, two months after the self-employed landscaper was first charged with murder.
The review was sparked when the detective leading the probe said he came across some “concerning” information while reviewing two previous investigations into five missing men.
McArthur pleaded guilty last week to eight counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of missing men with ties to Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village, the historic home of the city’s LGBTQ communities.
VIDEO: Lead detective in Bruce McArthur investigation files complaint against fellow officer
— With a file from Catherine McDonald, Nick Westoll and The Canadian Press
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