WPS officer won’t be charged with bloodying nose of man in custody, IIU decides

Manitoba’s police watchdog has decided not to authorize charges against a Winnipeg Police Service officer who allegedly bloodied a man’s nose while he was in custody.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba announced Friday the involved officer would not be charged after a man said he was hit in the head while in his holding cell, because there was no likelihood of conviction.

The man was arrested on Dec. 31 for violating a court order. He was taken to police headquarters, where he was lodged in a holding cell. The IIU’s report says the man urinated on himself, causing his clothing to become wet. He was given a blanket and his wet clothing was removed.

At some point during the night he was awoken by a guard and ordering him to follow for fingerprints. He refused and asked to speak with a supervisor, because he felt embarrassed for not wearing any clothing.

The guard handling the man told the supervising officer of the refusal and the officer entered the holding cell, jumped onto the ledge where the man had been sleeping and hit him on both sides of his head. The IIU’s report says the man received a bloodied nose and later complained about a sore ear.

The man was eventually taken for fingerprints and then transported to the Remand Centre before going to Milner Ridge Correctional Centre. He reported the incident to the WPS professional standards unit on Jan. 28.

IIU investigators spoke with the man, but no scene examination or canvassing was conducted because the incident did not come to the attention of the IIU until several weeks later.

The case was reviewed by a senior prosecutor who said the charging standard could not be met because there was no likelihood of conviction.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca