Disciplinary hearing rules Ottawa police officer to be fired after assault conviction
An Ottawa police officer convicted of assaulting a man nearly four years ago has been ordered to resign from the force in the next seven days or he will be fired.
Const. Goran Beric was found guilty of assault and assault with a weapon in October 2023 in connection to an incident involving a man at an Ottawa Community Housing building in August 2021. Last year, he received a suspended sentence with 30 months probation from the judge.
Now, a hearing officer has ordered Beric to be fired from the service after he was found guilty of discreditable conduct and insubordination under the Code of Conduct.
Beric was found guilty of assaulting a man while responding to a call at an Ottawa Community Housing complex on Bronson Avenue on August 4, 2021. Beric struck the man with his closed baton and stepped on his neck for two minutes and five seconds to hold him down.
The 28-page decision by the hearing officer, retired Ontario Provincial Police Supt. M.P.B. Elbers was released online Wednesday. Elbers ruled that in 'in light of the seriousness of the allegations,' Beric will be fired from the Ottawa Police Service if he does not resign within seven days.
'The conduct exhibited by this officer while on duty in Ottawa is deplorable and will cause damage to the reputation of the Ottawa Police Service,' Supt. Elbers said in the decision.
'The credibility of officers that conduct investigations and act inappropriately can have an adverse effect on the officer and those in attendance. Further, this incident was reported in the media, resulting in the embarrassment of the Ottawa Police Service.'
The Ottawa Police Service had asked for a penalty of dismissal, while Beric's lawyer asked for demotion to Third Class Constable for 12 months and then Second Class Constable for 12 months before returning to First Class Constable.
Beric has been a member of the Ottawa Police Service since 2006.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
38 minutes ago
- CTV News
Kirkland Lake fire hall debate
The debate continues around Kirkland Lake Town Council as councillors look to replace the town's 89-year-old fire hall.
CBC
40 minutes ago
- CBC
Scammers attempting to cash in on missing Sullivan kids case: SAR group
A Halifax search team warned Tuesday that "fraudulent individuals and organizations" are impersonating them and asking for money under the guise of trying to find Lilly and Jack Sullivan, the two Pictou County children who have been missing since May 2. "Please be advised that we do not request donations via third-party fundraising platforms like GoFundMe or direct messages," the alert from Halifax Search and Rescue said in part. In an interview with CBC's Mainstreet Halifax on Wednesday, Paul Service, the chief director of Halifax Search and Rescue, said the organization recently learned about an online fundraiser purportedly intending to help launch a drone search for Lilly and Jack Sullivan. "At the end of it, it listed Halifax Search and Rescue as a beneficiary of the search if they didn't use all the funding. And certainly, we're not aware of that campaign at all, we're not endorsing it," Service said. He said it's unfortunate that someone would try to take advantage of the case of the missing Sullivan children, but he's seen it happen with other high-profile searches. "There's potential opportunity, you know, [there's] high traffic in the media right now on the file, lots of attention — so they're able to generate based off of that interest," he explained. Service said the fake fundraisers tend to originate outside Nova Scotia. He said he's seen one from Ontario and another from the United States. "So they're really not local and that's something that people should be looking for." Service said the latest fraudulent fundraiser was brought to his attention by people who saw it online and asked him about it. The Halifax team gets its funding from the Halifax municipality and the provincial government and also carries out some local fundraising efforts, he said. He pointed out search and rescue organizations hold their fundraisers within the community, citing as examples the Sheet Harbour SAR fish derby and the Pictou County SAR raffle.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Trump announces travel ban affecting a dozen countries set to go into effect Monday
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump is resurrecting the travel ban policy from his first term, signing a proclamation Wednesday night preventing people from a dozen countries from entering the United States. The countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In addition to the ban, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, there will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. 'I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,' Trump said in his proclamation. The list results from a Jan. 20 executive order Trump issued requiring the departments of State and Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to compile a report on 'hostile attitudes' toward the U.S. and whether entry from certain countries represented a national security risk. During his first term, Trump issued an executive order in January 2017 banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. Travelers from those nations were either barred from getting on their flights to the U.S. or detained at U.S. airports after they landed. They included students and faculty as well as businesspeople, tourists and people visiting friends and family. The order, often referred to as the 'Muslim ban' or the 'travel ban,' was retooled amid legal challenges, until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. The ban affected various categories of travelers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Koreans and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. Trump and others have defended the initial ban on national security grounds, arguing it was aimed at protecting the country and not founded on anti-Muslim bias. However, the president had called for an explicit ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House. ___ Amiri reported from the United Nations. Chris Megerian And Farnoush Amiri, The Associated Press
