An Ontario judge accused of “non-consensual” sex and assault has been found guilty of judicial misconduct by an independent organization that investigates complaints against judges.
In a summary decision released online, a panel from the Ontario Judicial Council stated it accepted most of the allegations in a complaint filed against Justice Paul Currie of the Ontario Court of Justice.
Currie, who is currently suspended with pay, was the regional senior justice for the central west region of the Ontario Court of Justice until his term ended last August.
The complaint was submitted by then-chief justice Lise Maisonneuve of the Ontario Court of Justice after Currie faced criminal charges including one count of assault causing bodily harm and one count of assault in April 2023.
The Crown dropped those charges in June 2023, citing “no reasonable prospect of conviction.”
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A Ontario Judicial Council panel will resume its hearing on Justice Paul Currie on Feb. 4 to discuss what penalty should be applied. (CBC)
The panel also determined that Currie committed judicial misconduct when he contacted A. A. in June or July 2023 attempting to dissuade her from cooperating with their investigation into his conduct. Additionally, they found fault with him for waiting five days before surrendering to police even though he knew there was a warrant for his arrest.
For the sixth allegation, based on A. A.’s testimony, they concluded that Currie also engaged in judicial misconduct by regularly consuming alcohol while driving.
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Panel confirmed 5 out of 6 allegations in complaint
After receiving the complaint, the panel conducted a hearing and examined six allegations related to incidents reportedly occurring in January and April 2023. “Based on the evidence presented at the hearing, the hearing panel unanimously concluded that five out of six allegations in the Notice of Hearing were proven on a balance of probabilities, meeting the standard for judicial misconduct regarding each allegation,” stated their decision. The first allegation claimed that Currie engaged in nonconsensual sexual intercourse with an individual identified only as A. A., inflicting bodily injury around January 11, 2023. The second allegation asserted that he pushed her, resulting in bodily injury on or around April 5, 2023, leaving before police arrived. “Regarding the first and second allegations, the hearing panel found A. A.’s account about both assaults to be logical and consistent on key points while aligning with other evidence available,” reads their decision. “Any inconsistencies in A. A.’s narrative were deemed minor or easily explained. Conversely, Justice Currie’s testimony regarding events from January and April 2023 contained inconsistencies that undermined his credibility,” continues their ruling. “The panel established that Justice Currie’s actions concerning both allegations constituted judicial misconduct.”Punishment will be decided in February
The panel listened to testimony from A. A., three police officers involved with charging Currie, a former Crown attorney who oversaw his bail hearing, as well as from Currie himself. This hearing will continue on February 4 when they plan to discuss what penalty would be appropriate. Currie took up his role as regional senior justice for central west region back in 2019. Before this position, he worked as Brampton’s local administrative judge starting in 2015; according to news releases about his appointment. He became an Ontario Court judge based in Brampton back in 2004 after being called to bar in 1984.Source link
