Ottawa cop found guilty of assault gets suspended sentence

An Ottawa police officer found guilty of assault has avoided jail time.

Const. Goran Beric walked out of court Tuesday after a judge handed him a suspended sentence with 30 months probation.

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Beric was found guilty of assaulting a man while on duty during an Aug. 4, 2021 investigation at an Ottawa Community Housing complex.

Video released during the trial showed five officers responding to a call at 506 Bronson Ave. An officer obscured by a corner kicks a man and another officer takes him to the ground. The out-of-frame officer, determined in court to be Beric, then has his foot on the man's head for about two minutes.

Beric is subject to conditions. He cannot have any contact with the victim unless required by his job, he cannot possess any weapons for a period of nine months, he must perform 200 hours of community service and he must submit a DNA sample. 

It's unclear whether Beric will remain on the police force.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the Ottawa Police Service says Beric remains under suspension at this time.

"Our Professional Standards Section is reviewing the decision and next steps will be determined in the coming days," the OPS said.

Ottawa Police Association President Matthew Cox said he was disappointed in the ruling.

"The Association is disappointed to learn Constable Beric received a suspended sentence as we were hopeful the penalty would have been a reduced penalty," Cox said.

"We will be speaking with his legal counsel to explore if there are grounds to appeal the case. Situations like this are not easy for any parties involved, and we will do our part to ensure appropriate support is in place."

Robin Browne, with the community group 613-819 Black Hub and a well-known critic of the Ottawa Police Service, told CTV News Ottawa that he feels the sentence does not fit the crime.

"People in mental health crisis are supposed to be getting help, not having police officers stand on their neck," he said. "It's an example of what is a double standard. Police are supposed to be held to a higher standard. It seems like they're being held to a lower one."

Beric declined an interview.

Ottawa Community Housing declined to comment on Beric's sentence, saying only that the safety and security of its tenants is one of its top priorities.

"OCH is a landlord first and we work closely with tenants and community partners to resolve tenant and community safety concerns. We rely on collaborative partnerships to achieve community safety and well-being," it said in a statement. 

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Jackie Perez.