The RCMP officer who ordered that Robert Dziekanski be jolted with a police Taser gun denies fabricating his story or lying under oath before the inquiry into the Polish immigrant’s death.
RCMP Cpl. Benjamin Robinson concluded three days of testimony before the Braidwood Commission Wednesday, much of it spent sparring with lawyers for Dziekanski’s mother and the Polish government.
“I’ve been telling the truth,” Robinson insisted as his testimony came to an end.
Lawyer Don Rosenbloom has seized on what he calls “consistencies in errors” involving the four officers who confronted Dziekanski before his death Oct. 14, 2007 at Vancouver International Airport.
Some, but not all, admitted to similar errors in describing Dziekanski’s behaviour: Whether he swung his stapler up high before he was hit by the Taser weapon, as Robinson and another officer had testified; or whether RCMP officers had to “wrestle” Dziekanski to the ground, as all the officers claimed but later retracted during the inquiry.
The similarities, Rosenbloom suggested, couldn’t have been a coincidence.
“You and your fellow officers collaborated to fabricate your story in the expectation it would justify your conduct,” Rosenbloom said.
“I deny that,” Robinson answered.
Speaking with reporters after Wednesday testimony, Rosenbloom continued to focus on what he saw as the officers’ “inconsistencies.”
“You have these inconsistencies that are spoken by all four officers,” he said. “They claim that they never spoke to each other, yet … [they] all make the same mistakes.
“There are two many inconsistencies and they are all making the same errors about the events.”
Robinson and his lawyer left court Wednesday afternoon without speaking to reporters.
But while Robinson has admitted to mistakes in his original police statement, he has insisted Dziekanski still posed a risk to officers and the public that morning.
“I see somebody who is about to attack,” he told Rosenbloom when taken through widely seen video of the incident Wednesday.
The RCMP have sent a spokesperson to listen to testimony and respond to media questions during the inquiry.
But although RCMP Cpl. Peter Thiessen acknowledged “concerns” about officer mistakes in their statements, he said the force in B.C. would not make comments about the officers’ actions until after the inquiry’s conclusion.
But representatives from the Polish-Canadian community have been raising their voices as the inquiry progresses.
Zygmunt Riddle says he has started a Facebook petition, with 10,000 members, urging B.C. Attorney-General Wally Oppal to review a decision not to lay criminal charges against the officers involved.
And Jurek Baltakis, a Polish-Canadian from Kamloops and friend of Dziekanski’s mother, wants a special prosecutor appointed to reconsider charges.
“We don't believe the RCMP can [do it],” he said.
“We strongly believe the investigation was deficient and focused only on finding the evidence against Mr. Dziekanski, to blame the victim.”
The inquiry continues.
Irwin Loy reports for 24 Hours Vancouver and appears regularly on The Hook.
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morechatter
3 years ago
Caught in the web
And what it now deny, deny, deny despite the obvious how could they all have the same wrong story? What the chances of that? None.
G West
3 years ago
Of course they collaborated
Of course they collaborated – anyone who knows anything about judicial procedure is aware that these officers were well rehearsed. The problem, as I see it, is that they likely made their first statements during that short period after the murder when the controversial tape was still in the possession of the cops – before it’s owner went to court to have it returned to him.
That meant that the officers’ initial statements were false and self-serving and, given the irrefutable evidence of the video tape, bound to be contradictory.
The law must be changed so that all such investigations are immediately taken out of the hands of any police force.
Until it does, these farces will continue.
DPL
3 years ago
These jokers spend time in
These jokers spend time in courts watching some crooks lie. They have learned to do the same. What honest person would write reports, knowing they are not true, watch a video which shows theri stories arn't true, and still claim they wern't wromng just a bit mixed up. It isn't just sleazy crooks that try to lie in court, we see some guys sworn to protect doing a twist on the truth. How can their seniors stand for them hurting the trust folks used to have for the horsemen? Promotions for all but wait tille the Corporal gets sentanced for his drunk driving causing death court case
Stump
3 years ago
'I've been telling the truth'
And I'll only put the tip in and pull out before the big moment!
About as believable.
Stump
3 years ago
Lies beget lies
the other day my kid said, "the police are our friends"
The ones that tase indiscrminately? The ones that allegedly beat and rob delivery drivers? The ones who drink and drive and somehow never go to trial because of technicalities?
Boy, did I have to bite my tongue. The VPD's and RCMP's bad apples and refusal to clean house and get with the times are forcing me to commit a lie of omission to my child, because I can't tell a child the truth... the police may or may not be your friend. They may in fact be the death of you, whether you've committed a crime, or happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nice work Lou.
thehaaxw
3 years ago
Nuremburg Principles Apply to Institutional Infractions
The principles of law, and of law enforcement are under scrutiny in this latest investigation and the situation calls for application to such incidents of the legal principles established at Nuremburg in the Nazi War Crime Trials. Generals and high Politicians were executed there for the atrocities carried out on their behalf by their soldiers.
Agents of the state, just like children, are deemed to be the charges of their superiors, or their parents, and in this case, the Masters with the final responsibility are the Premier of this Province and the Prime Minister of Canada. However it has now come about that trained Police Officers so wantonly use their authority and their arms to inflict more harm than could ever result from the actions of their victims, the buck, or the bullets, start and stop in the highest offices, and so we believe that all culpability for the lies in this matter are rightly attributed to Campbell and Harper for either condoning such tragic acts, or for not publishing their positions on the increasing murder and mayhem that has become so rampant on our streets and highways at the hands of their Police. Silence in such cases is tacit approval
It is one of the highest honours in society to be entrusted with power and weapons and so their police training has to stress their primary duty to the public and never allow such easy assertion of force. But instead it has become the rule anymore, not the exception, for the Police to use as much force as they can get away with, and absolutely no discretion is relied on before firing away. Police are no different than any of us, and the law only allows anyone to use the minimum force needed to defend one's person or property; there is no need to keep on proving the officers' right to use their weapons. These Police have in their minds that their superiors want them to prove some point about fearing authority and that carries this tragedy home to Gorden Campbell and Steve Harper. Society is built on respect, not fear.
The world is now as much threatened by agents of the governments, as by the criminal element, and we cannot condone this progression of affairs, but must stand up and introduce new forms of government with closer public control than is being provided to us by the present form of representative parliament and legislature.
I suggest giving more legislative authority to Potlatch-style Town Hall Meetings. Did I say "giving?" Correction! I mean taking that legislative authority back from these incompetent dominant minorities.
southdeltawalker
3 years ago
The cops are out of control.
These cops all appear to be lying and lying. If it wasn't for that video they would have gotten away with it and there would be no inquiry.
Robinson lives out here in South Delta and killed a young guy on a motorcycle while driving.
At the time of the accident-he was off duty and had his kids in his car.
He admitted that he had drinking. He had his licence suspended for 90 days but so far has not been charged. He has been suspended and is still receiving pay.
These guys are out of control-they are not to be trusted on duty or off duty.
Will they be charged? That's up to Opal right now and he hasn't done it.
Out here in South Delta-Attorney General Wally Opal is running for re-election for the Liberals.
Hopefully the voters will boot his *** out of here and he will be defeated.
These cops need to be off the streets, out of their cars-charged, convicted and in jail.
Maybe a new A/G will see to that.
freebear
3 years ago
Little terrors in the Principal's office
These asses for police officers in court are behaving like schoolyard bullies trying to ly and fabricate their story before going to see the principal.
And even an elementary school prinicipal would see throughy their lies!
sunshine coast girl
3 years ago
Does anyone know
the name of the Facebook group?
brg61
3 years ago
Police Destroying Their Public Trust
The RCMP and VPD are failing themselves
and the public at an escalating pace
every year.
It upsets me when I feel ashamed or repulsed by yet another incident of
excessive force, poor judgement in
off-duty behaviour, humiliating
treatment of people in custody or
another shooting of someone "similar
in appearance" to a suspect being
persued.
The role of a police officer is like
no other and I respect the men and
women working so hard for all of us.
We must consider the gruesome scenes
they encounter; the vulgar acts of
the most evil people.
The disgraceful treatment that resulted
in the death of Mr. Dziekanski and the
cover-up by the RCMP destroys trust in
law enforcement. Robinson's testimony
was not only a lie, it was cold and aloof.
I hope he will be made accountable for
his actions.
Governments MUST take action now by
ending internal reviews of all deaths
like Dziekanski's. Without the video
the usual phoney "investigation"
would absolve four bad cops. If this
isn't done, the police forces sink
lower with each incident.