Ontario's police watchdog has dropped an investigation in St. Thomas after determining that officers did not break a woman's nose while she was in custody.
The Special Investigations Unit says the woman broke her own nose.
According to the SIU, the woman was arrested for public intoxication around 8:30 p.m. on June 6, 2020. She was placed in a cell at police headquarters. Around 10:30, she was seen on video hitting herself in the face with her right hand. She then hit her face three times with her left hand, causing her nose to bleed.
The woman was then taken to hospital and diagnosed with a broken nose.
“Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, which included a review of the cell video recording, I am satisfied that there is patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer is concerned in connection with the woman’s injury," said SIU Director Joseph Martino. "It is apparent that the woman broke her own nose while in a police cell, the result of her having struck her face repeatedly with her hands. Consequently, the investigation is hereby discontinued, and the file is closed.”
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.