Well, the case of Constable Geoff Mantler is slowly starting to grind its way through B.C.’s clogged up justice system. Here’s The Globe story I wrote today.
Mantler’s lawyer, Neil McDougall, showed up in court today with plans to plead not guilty on behalf of his client in the case involving Manjit Singh Bhatti. The details of this case are not widely known as the media became aware of it only when the Crown announced the charges against Mantler. However, police wouldn’t release details and no one in the media has secured an interview with Bhatti so we still don’t know anything about it.
Turns out, McDougall couldn’t officially enter a plea today because of a paperwork foul-up. Seems the charge was initially laid “by indictement” (which carries higher maximum penalties) rather than “summarily” because it was laid more than six months after the Aug. 30 date of the alleged incident and summary charges have a six month statute of limitations. Mantler has waived any objections to missing that deadline, but the Crown counsel overseeing the file apparently put contradictory notes in it as to how the charge is proceeding. The lawyer standing in for the Crown didn’t want to make a decision, so the matter was put off.
As for the widely known case involving Buddy Tavares,who was kicked in the head while being arrested in an incident caught on video and posted to YouTube, McDougall still needs time to digest all the evidence in the case before entering a plea, though it certainly sounded like a not guilty plea is coming in this case too. We should know what is happening on July 12, when the plan is to officially enter pleas on both counts.
But after that, get ready for a lot of waiting. The Bhatti case -if it only needs one day as McDougall thinks- will not get a trial date for at least 8-12 months because of how backlogged the system is. As for the Tavares case, which will take at least several days, “I suspect we’re looking at a long time down the road,” said McDougall.
It will be interesting to see if the RCMP -which has already taken the very unusual step of suspending Mantler with pay- waits until the charges are taken care of before deciding on internal discipline.
Here’s my Globe story from three weeks ago, when the RCMP took away Mantler’s pay.
Nieoview 
I recently had my house broken into in broad daylight. There’s a forest that adjoins my backyard where a group of junkies had been squatting. They had despoiled the place with shredded newspapers, syringes, used condoms and other refuse. Twice I had to pour water on the smoldering fires they left behind.
After the break-in I called the RCMP (I live in Surrey, which exclusively employs them) It took three hours for an officer to arrive. He made no effort to hide his boredom or disinterest. He had a camera with him but took no pictures of the damage to my door or ask about the three hundred dollar drill or missing bike. Instead he asked if I played basketball (I’m tall and of African descent)
then asked if I sold drugs.I told him know. He said. “Yeah, right”. Then he took me to his patrol car and ran my name through his computer. I asked him about the junkies in the forest and offered to show him where they were camped out. He smiled and told me to call the city.
I asked him that despite whatever preconceived notions he had of me, wasn’t he concerned that the next door that gets kicked in broad daylight have a small child or old lady alone in the home?
He smirked and said nothing.
Then he left.
That day i purchased Bear mace and jury-rigged a spiked baseball-bat and went over to wear the three junkies were camped out. While I didn’t recover the drill or bike it’s virtual certainty that they will never ever be back there again. I’m also sure that they will think twice before breaking into another home.
Im fine with this.
Geoff Mantler and his brethren can keep terrorizing the weak, sexually assaulting and harassing their female colleagues. They can keep killing Polish immigrants and lying about it. They can continue to post videos of themselves engaged in BDSM with women in cages.
The people will eventually police their own communities, and peace will be kept somehow.
Despite the RCMP, they are empowered thugs in uniforms, protected by a government that cares only to perpetuate its power over the people they see as nothing more than tax-cattle.
first met Buffie as a bride’s maid at her sister Laura’s Okanagan wdeidng two years ago. This is when I was introduced to a remarkable group of friends who have since become