By Andrew Ardizzi
Toronto, Ontario — March 4, 2013 — A tow truck driver who alleges he was the victim of police abuse has called on the Ontario Provincial Police to fire one of its officers.
Jagdis Tirbany, 45, of Toronto, released a statement through his lawyer claiming the officer in question verbally threatened him and allegedly brandished sex toys at him while Tirbany was being finger printed at a police station on Keele Street near Wilson Avenue. Tirbany says the incident occurred in March 2012.
Tirbany released a video of the incident on February 13, 2013, in which an officer, said to be Const. Ludgero Cafe, is shown holding objects while asking several questions of Tirbany in the video’s audio. The video can be found on YouTube under the title “Toronto OPP hidden camera appears to show cop brandishing dildos Mar 8/12.”
In the video, Cafe is seen briefly with what appears to be sex toys in both hands, and suggests they will be used on Tirbany.
“Which one do you want to use, this one or the other one?” Cafe is heard asking in the video. “If you ever end up going to jail, in a nice mostly dark place … that’s exactly what Bubba’s gonna do to you; I will personally send a nice text to take care of you in there.”
Tirbany also alleges that two other officers were present during the incident but did not report it. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Ontario’s provincial police watchdog, investigated the incident and charged Const. Cafe with uttering a threat with intent to cause bodily harm, although Tirbany’s lawyer, Davin Charney, said the Crown quietly dropped the charges on February 1, 2013.
As reported in a number of sources, the Crown determined there was little chance of conviction. Despite the case being dropped by the Crown, Tirbany intends to file a lawsuit against the provincial police force.
“The lawsuit will allege sexual assault, intimidation, and wrongful interference with Mr. Tirbany’s tow truck business,”
according to an offical statement released by Tirbany’s lawyer. “The claim is expected to outline a pattern of harassment by OPP officers against Mr. Tirbany including falsely arresting him on one occasion and threatening to arrest him on another occasion.”
Tirbany has also filed a complaint with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director regarding the conduct of the three officers and expects a written report to be released in the near future.
You can watch the video in the player below.
