Toronto cop convicted in Dafonte Miller beating sentenced to 9 months in jail

A Toronto police officer convicted of assault in the brutal beating of a young Black man was sentenced to nine months in jail on Thursday, a punishment the judge said takes into account the “racialized context” of the violence.

Superior Court Justice Joseph Di Luca said that even though Const. Michael Theriault was off-duty when he assaulted Dafonte Miller, his “training and position” as a police officer makes the offence “all the more serious.”

“While the Crown does not allege the assault was racially motivated, the racialized context in which the offence took place cannot be ignored,” Di Luca said as he delivered the sentence.

“The offence committed in these circumstances undermines societal values of dignity and equality. It undermines the trust that the community — particularly the Black community — places on police officers. It must be denounced in the clearest terms.”

He said the punishment is also warranted given the facts of the case.

“This is not a case where in the course of self-defence, an accused simply went too far,” Di Luca said. “This is a case where after any reasonable, possible threat had abated, the accused armed himself with a weapon and struck the injured and retreating victim.”

But he said he also considered the officer’s high chance of rehabilitation and the conditions he will face in jail.

Di Luca also sentenced Theriault to 12 months of probation following his jail term, along with a five-year weapons prohibition.

Prosecutors sought a jail term of 12 to 15 months and several other restrictions for Theriault, who was off duty during the December 2016 confrontation with Miller.

Defence lawyers asked for an absolute discharge or suspended sentence.

The Toronto Police Service says Theriault has now been suspended without pay and that the Toronto Police Professional Standards unit will resume its investigation into the events of that night.

“Today’s outcome does not change the life-altering injuries sustained by Mr. Dafonte Miller,” Chief James Ramer said in a statement.

“This case has created a further divide between the police and the Black community, especially those who have lived experiences of discrimination in the justice system or by police. We will continue to take the steps necessary to rebuild trust with our communities and to ensure accountability and transparency.”

Theriault and his brother, Christian, were charged with aggravated assault and obstruction of justice in connection with the incident, which took place in Whitby, Ont., about 45 minutes east of Toronto.

Prosecutors alleged during trial that the brothers beat Miller, who was 19 at the time, with a metal pipe, leaving him with a ruptured eye and other injuries.

The defence presented a different account, saying the Theriault brothers wanted to arrest Miller after catching him and his friends stealing from the family truck.

They alleged the pair feared for their lives after Miller confronted them with a pipe and acted in self-defence.

In delivering his verdict in June, Di Luca said he couldn’t rule out the possibility that self-defence played a role in the early portion of the incident.

It was during that part of the encounter that Miller sustained the eye injury that warranted the aggravated assault charge, the judge said.

But Di Luca said he didn’t buy the self-defence argument regarding Theriault’s actions shortly afterwards, when the officer grabbed a pipe and hit a retreating Miller in the head.

As a result, Theriault was cleared of aggravated assault but convicted of the lesser charge of assault.

He was also found not guilty on the obstruction of justice charge, while his brother was acquitted of all charges.

Miller laid out the lasting impact the incident has had on his life in a statement that prosecutors read to the court in September.

In it, he said the encounter permanently altered his view of police, adding he had never previously experienced an abuse of power to that degree.

“No one questioned him. Only I was worthy of suspicion … Because of the colour of my skin, Michael Theriault could have got away with what he did to me,” the statement said.

Miller has said he would like Theriault to spend time behind bars, stressing the guilty verdict is only a step in holding the officer accountable for his actions.

Theriault, meanwhile, told the court he has been publicly demonized and called a racist, which he said does not reflect who he is. The officer said he never intended to seriously hurt Miller.

Defence lawyers have argued Theriault had no previous disciplinary issues before the incident, and said he could face “employment consequences” including the loss of his job if forced to serve jail time.

The Crown has appealed the verdict, alleging the judge made errors in his analysis on the self-defence argument.

Defence lawyers sought earlier to have the verdict vacated but Di Luca said the issue would be better left to the appeal court.