Mountie acquitted of perjury at Robert Dziekanski inquiry

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A Mountie who was among four RCMP officers at Vancouver’s airport the night Robert Dziekanski was jolted with a Taser and died has been found not guilty of lying at the inquiry into the Polish immigrant’s death.

Cst. Bill Bentley was the first to go on trial for perjury for his testimony during the 2009 inquiry seeking to find answers about what happened when the officers responded to a call about a distraught man throwing furniture in an arrivals area. He became overcome with emotion after hearing he was cleared of lying.

Justice Mark McEwan has found Crown failed to prove Bentley lied at a public inquiry into the death of Dziekanski.

With three others scheduled to face a similar charge, Crown’s Neil MacKenzie says they’ll look into what implications this ruling will have. “Clearly the judge was not satisfied that the Crown case met the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Each of these cases is determined on its own specific facts. The special prosecutor will review the decision carefully.”

In a written statement, the RCMP are saying very little about the ruling. “We are aware that Cst. Bill Bentley has been subject of a perjury trial that concluded today in Vancouver with a decision of not guilty. We respect the decision of the court and will not comment any further with respect to the criminal matter given there is an appeal period.”

Dziekanski was zapped with a Taser and died on the airport floor in October 2007 after what Bentley said in his notes was a confrontation in which Dziekanski came at the officers screaming and brandishing the stapler before he had to be shocked and wrestled to the ground.

But a video, taken by a traveler, contradicted some of Bentley’s notes and statements.

The Crown argued at Bentley’s trial that he and the other officers colluded on their stories to homicide investigators and then lied at the inquiry to cover up the deception.