TORONTO, September 6, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Toronto police say they have no police record of the pepper spraying incident at St. Michael’s hospital last week in which a pro-life counsellor was pepper sprayed while two assailants wrestled away an 18-year-old who was 5 months pregnant. Toronto police Constable Deborah Abbott from the media relations department searched the police database listing all police reports and could not find any report on the incident. At first Abbott told LifeSite that that the missing report was “surprising to me” but after being told about the nature of the case – that the assault was against a pro-life counsellor – she said that since no charges had been laid by police “it sounds like a civil matter to me.” LifeSite contacted former police officer Kevin McNiff who said that failure of an officer to report an incident involving an assault with an illegal weapon would be “neglect of duty.” Abbott confirmed that use of pepper spray by civilians on people is illegal but refused to comment when asked if failure of a police officer to file a report on such an incident would constitute neglect of duty. Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition, told LifeSite the lack of a police report on the matter was shocking. “You mean to say that the police don’t have a report filed on the incident when an illegal weapon was used and the whole floor of the medical clinic had to be evacuated from the effects of the spray, not to mention that an 18-year-old was taken from the hospital evidently against her will?!” LifeSite contacted the St. Michael’s Hospital media department and was told that no information on the incident could be released since it might be the subject of an investigation.
Read LifeSite’s coverage of the incident: TORONTO PRO-ABORTS KIDNAP YOUNG WOMAN USING PEPPER SPRAY https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/sep/02090501.html