'Strip the criminal of his badge': G20 protester appeals 'ridiculous' penalty for police assault

A police oversight agency will decide if a fair penaltywas handed down to the only Toronto officer convicted of using excessive force at the turbulent 2010 G20 summit in Toronto, after the protester he assaulted appealed the decision.

Const. Babak Andalib-Goortani was criminally charged afterthe chaoticprotests in Toronto in June of that year, which saw the largest massarrest in Canadian history.

He wasfound guiltyof assault with a weapon in the violent arrest ofAdam Nobody during a demonstration on the lawn of Queen's Park. The incident was captured in a video thatshowsAndalib-Goortanirepeatedly striking Nobody with hisbaton.

But Goortanireceived a suspended sentence and servedno jail time. And he was docked five days payby a police disciplinary tribunal.

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Nobody's appeal of Andalib-Goortani'sdisciplinary tribunaldecision, which was handed down in 2015 by retired judge Lee Ferrier, is being heard by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, an independent police accountability tribunal.

Representing himself at a hearing that began Thursday, Nobody called Andalib-Goortani's sentence "ridiculous" and "disrespectful."

Nobody reminded the tribunal that he spent 30 hours in jail following the G20 protestand that injuries he suffered that day required surgery and spending multiple days in hospital.

All charges against Nobody were withdrawn.

The disciplinary tribunal found that Andalib-Goortani, who was just one of several officers who arrested Nobody, did not cause his injuries, which included a broken nose, cheekbone, and bruises to his body. Nobody believes Andalib-Goortani caused some of his injuries.

In his submission, Nobody attacked the officer's character, calling him a "liar" who is not fit to remain a member of Toronto Police.

"I beg of you,strip the criminal of his badge," Nobody argued.

Officer paid 'enormous' price

Andalib-Goortani, the Toronto Police Service, and the Office of the Independent Police Review Director also have standing at the hearing.

Andalib-Goortani did not attend the proceeding on Thursday.

The officer's lawyer, Harry Black, defended the disciplinary penaltyin his submission, saying Andalib-Goortani has "paid an enormous price" for his crime.

Black said that the officer's baton strikes "didn't leave a mark" on Nobody and that his appeal is "without any merit."

Andalib-Goortani was a model police officer prior to the "nightmarish" G20 assignment, Black told the tribunal, and he should by no means be removed from duty.

"He's paid too big a price," Black said, highlighting the fact Andalib-Goortani now has a criminal record.

A lawyer representing the Toronto Police Service told the hearing that Andalib-Goortani's sentence was "reasonable" and that the the Ontario Civilian Police Commission should not interfere with that decision.

The tribunal reserved its decision for a later date.