Codiac RCMP officer guilty of assaulting man whose hands and feet were cuffed

A Codiac RCMP officer has been found guilty of assault causing bodily harm of a man in handcuffs and leg shackles at a police station.

Some of Const. Billy Michel Parent-Roy's actions were unjustified and exhibited excessive force, Judge Ronald LeBlanc said in Moncton's provincial court on Wednesday.

The decision comes nearly three years after the incident in question.

On June 29, 2022, Parent-Roy was involved in an altercation that took place while detaining Craig Hachey.

Hachey was arrested under the Intoxicated Persons Dentention Act in Moncton and was later held at the Shediac RCMP detatchment. A 2022 press release by the RCMP stated that Hachey was "agitated and aggressive" during the process.

In court, LeBlanc said he viewed security footage captured at the police station, which allowed him to see Parent-Roy's actions without sound.

He said the officer appeared to use physical force on Hachey several times in the minutes that it took for him and three other officers to move Hachey from a police car to a holding cell.

LeBlanc said Parent-Roy could be seen punching Hachey repeatedly in the back, kneeing him in the chest, holding his neck with one hand, and standing on his calves for a short time while Hachey was on the ground.

As the judge went through his understanding of Parent-Roy's use of force, he used words such as "illogical" and "in no way necessary" in French. 

He also said, "Police officers do not have unlimited power to instigate injuries onto a person."

He did, however, deem Parent-Roy's action justifiable when he held Hachey's neck with one hand and appeared to speak with him during the altercation.

Other factors also weighed into the guilty verdict, LeBlanc said.

He reminded the court that Hachey's hands and ankles were handcuffed during the incident, that there were three other officers on site to help detain him, that they were in a safe space at the time and that there was no press for time.

The judge also referred to photos provided by the victim's brother, Corey Hachey, showing lesions on Hachey's body and a fractured rib and elbow. His brother had also noted that Hachey suffered a black eye, had swollen hands, and cuts on his ankles and wrists.

"I am also persuaded that — except the injuries to his ankles and wrists — the injuries suffered by Craig Hachey were a results of the blows and the violence perpetrated by the accused, Parent-Roy," LeBlanc said.

This, despite a 2022 press release by the RCMP following the incident which stated, "No injuries were reported by the man in custody."

A month later, New Brunswick RCMP requested the Nova Scotia Serious Response Team investigate the incident. As a result, Parent-Roy was placed on administrative leave, effective Aug. 4, 2022.

Charges were laid less than a year later in March 2023.

A court date for sentencing has been set for June 19, 2025. Parent-Roy remains free until sentencing when he will get a chance to address the court.

Outside the courtroom, Parent-Roy's lawyer, Gilles Lemieux, said in French that his client was "disappointed."