One of the Toronto police officers charged in connection with Project South has pleaded guilty to two of the allegations against him and will face a 10-month conditional sentence.
Former constable Derek Mc Cormick was taken into custody and charged in February as part of a broad corruption investigation that was initiated after an attempted murder of a Toronto jail guard.
He faced four counts of theft under $5,000, one count for breaching the trust as a public officer, and another count for obstruction of justice.
At that time, York Regional Police claimed his involvement in Project South revolved around his role in stealing personal belongings from a police facility. These items reportedly included driver’s licenses, health cards, and passports. A “substantial amount” of these items was recovered.
Mc Cormick entered a guilty plea for two charges: taking a cellphone and breach of trust by misappropriating “found property.” The other charges were dropped.
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“He thought it was the right thing to do, so he did it,” Mc Cormick’s lawyer Gary Clewley told reporters outside the court. “I think he wanted to acknowledge that what he did was wrong and, as you heard today … he stepped up and took his punishment.”
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Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories. Mc Cormick will serve his conditional sentence at home under house arrest. “He’s under house arrest, then under curfew, then he gets on with his life,” Clewley mentioned. A spokesperson for Toronto police confirmed to that Mc Cormick resigned from his position as an officer last month. This arrest is part of a larger investigation into police corruption that suggested connections between Ryan Wedding’s drug operation, police officers, and even jail guards. The Project South investigation began following an alleged attempted murder involving a senior staff member at the Toronto South Detention Centre back in June 2025. More on Canada More videos York Regional Police recently indicated in an unsealed court document that their findings show “a broader pattern of corruption, misuse of police authority, and facilitation of criminal activity.” The investigation has revealed allegations against Const. Timothy Barnhardt along with other officers who accessed unauthorized information. “In short, the investigation has uncovered a number of police officers who, at the request of their civilian associates, improperly accessed confidential police databases, retrieved sensitive information … and then disclosed that information,” York Regional Police stated. Story continues below “Collectively, these matters demonstrate a broader pattern of corruption, misuse of police authority, and facilitation of criminal activity linked to the primary investigation.” Clewley emphasized that Mc Cormick had no ties to this larger alleged conspiracy. “(He) doesn’t have one; he had nothing to do with that,” he said. “He got roped in by that guy but he’s got nothing to do with that.” -with files from ’ Catherine Mc Donald & copy 2026 , a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.Source link
