Toronto Const. James Forcillo charged with perjury, attempting to obstruct justice
Bail recently revoked for officer convicted in 2013 slaying of teenager Sammy Yatim
Toronto police Const. James Forcillo, who was convicted of attempted murder in the 2013 shooting death of Sammy Yatim, has been charged with perjury and attempting to obstruct justice.
The charges come as a result of breach of bail allegations by the province's Special Investigations Unit, which sparked a separate investigation by the Toronto Police Service's professional standards unit, according to the police force.
Last year, the 34-year-old Forcillo was sentenced to six years in prison for shooting 18-year-old Yatim on a streetcar.
- Forcillo arrested for allegedly breaching bail
- James Forcillo in Toronto-area jail after bail revoked
Forcillo had been under house arrest as a condition of his bail while he appealed the conviction, but the provincial watchdog's investigation alleged Forcillo had been living at a different address than that listed in his bail conditions, a spokesperson for the professional standards unit told CBC News.
Forcillo consented to have his bail revoked and was moved to a Toronto-area jail in November.
His lawyer said last month that part of the reason his client agreed to have his bail revoked was that his sureties — his ex-wife and her parents — were no longer willing to act in that capacity.
Police union president Mike McCormack told CBC News in November that Forcillo had been residing with his ex-wife, whom he divorced in July, according to court documents.
Forcillo allegedly lied under oath when he attempted to obtain a bail variation that would change his primary address, which resulted in the two new charges, Toronto police said.
Court records show Forcillo had applied to have the conditions of his bail changed in order to live with his new fiancée, Sara Balderrama, at an apartment in north Toronto.
Before the application was approved, investigators visited Balderrama's apartment and found Forcillo there. The records allege he told investigators his new arrangement was "only temporary," and suggest it was Forcillo, not his fiancée, who had arranged the rental unit and signed the lease.
Police said Forcillo remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court to face the new charges on Dec. 29.
With files from The Canadian Press