LONDON, ONT. -- A disciplinary tribunal got underway Thursday morning for a London police constable facing several charges under the Police Services Act.
Last October Const. Steve Williams was issued 23 charges including 12 counts of discreditable conduct.
Williams had earlier that year pleaded guilty to one charge of neglect of duty and two counts of discreditable conduct relating to a case where he involved himself in a situation involving a childhood friend who was involved in a separation from the complainant.
According to the agreed statement of facts in that case, he sent other officers to do a bail check on a complainant for personal reasons, involved himself in a criminal case without submitting notes and ran unlawful background checks. Williams was fined six days of pay and is currently suspended with pay.
Under the most recent charges, one also alleges that Williams sexually assaulted a member of the public.
On Thursday morning a taped police interview was played and the hearing learned that Williams ran five CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) checks in one month on a woman he was involved with in May of 2016.
“It’s not normal behaviour and at the time I think I was desperate,” Williams responded. “I never threatened her.”
Williams added that he thought he could run CPIC checks with no issue, “I know I ran myself all the time.”
Later those at the hearing saw a recording Williams made of himself on a cellphone grooving to a song while operating the police cruiser, that he later sent to a woman who in turn gave it to police.
The officer conducting the interview asked if he knew that distracted driving was against the law and why he did it, to which Williams responded, “I can’t give a reason why.”
The tribunal is being held at the Delta Hotel in downtown London and is expected to last two weeks.
These charges have not been proven in court.
- With files from CTV's Nick Paparella
