Trial begins for Newfoundland RCMP officer accused of assaulting unruly air passenger

A trial is underway for an RCMP officer accused of assaulting an unruly flight passenger after he was escorted off an international flight that had been diverted to the airport in Stephenville, N.L.

The trial before provincial court Judge Rolf Pritchard began today after Jeffrey Cormier’s defence lawyer argued unsuccessfully that a video of the event, which was widely circulated on social media, should not be allowed into evidence.

Lawyer Nick Avis said in a hearing Monday that the province’s police oversight agency, known as SIRT-NL, did not subpoena the person who posted the video to obtain the original footage.

Avis made several arguments against admitting the footage, including that without the original, there was no way to be sure the video ultimately downloaded from TikTok by SIRT-NL hadn’t been altered in some way.

Pritchard ruled against Avis this morning and admitted the video.

The video posted to social media in June 2023, appears to show three police officers removing a man with his hands restrained behind his back from a plane, and then his head is slammed into a police SUV before he is pushed into the vehicle.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2024.