Cop threatened to Taser suspects' testicles
A Toronto Police officer admitted he threatened to use a Taser on the testicles of two prisoners to force them to help him catch a suspect.
Const. Christopher Hominuk, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of threatening bodily harm in a May 24, 2010, incident involving two suspects.
Both victims were handcuffed and sitting alone in different police cruisers.
Hominuk's actions were captured on the in-cruiser video cameras, which revealed him slapping Robert James Bolgan, 47, in the face and forcing him to lay down on the back seat.
The video was played in open court before Justice Hugh Fraser Monday.
As soon as Hominuk opened the cruiser door, he pushed his Taser into Bolgan's genital area.
Crown attorney Philip Perlmutter said Hominuk demanded to know from Bolgan the identity of a missing suspect. Bolgan replied he didn't know.
"I'll f---ing Taser. If you are lying to me, when I get back to the station, I'm Tasering you in the f---ing nuts," Hominuk barked at Bolgan.
Bolgan had redness on the side of his forehead where he was struck.
Hominuk then confronted his second victim, Roger William Bradshaw, 39, who was lying in the back seat of a nearby cruiser.
Hominuk pressed his Taser onto Bradshaw's neck and repeated his demand for the identity of the fugitive. When Bradshaw insisted he didn't know him, Hominuk snarled: "If I find out you're lying, I'm going to f---ing Taser you in the nuts."
Bradshaw was unharmed. The Taser was never activated or used on either man.
A sentencing hearing for Hominuk, 37, is scheduled for June 14.
Hominuk and other officers were investigating a break-in at some tractor trailers in the west end when police arrested the pair and another individual.
Court heard that neither victim was intimidated or physically injured. Neither complained about the threats or treatment and Hominuk's Taser was never used.
Hominuk's misconduct was discovered while police viewed the in-camera video for an unrelated purpose.
Hominuk, a 14-year officer with an exemplary record, was a probationary sergeant at the time. He's married and has two children, said his lawyer Peter Brauti.
Brauti told court "there will be medical evidence that will be an extenuating circumstance" at the sentencing hearing.
Hominuk lost his probationary rank and could lose his job if he's sentenced to a custodial or conditional sentence, said Brauti.
Hominuk was suspended with pay since being charged in June last year