Toronto detective stole drugs from active criminal cases, court told
CBC
A veteran Toronto homicide detective has admitted to obstructing justice and stealing drugs from two active homicide cases, according to courtroom testimony and police records reviewed by CBC News.
Retired detective Paul Worden's actions and admissions affected other ongoing criminal proceedings.
Worden's admission, during testimony last month in pretrial proceedings for a murder charge in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, was his first known public acknowledgement that he stole drugs from active cases.
He said under cross-examination that he took drugs from evidence lockers over roughly 18 months, and used them to treat chronic pain. It's not clear how much he took.
"It included taking exhibits from cases that were actively ongoing?" asked Monte MacGregor, the lawyer for one of two suspects accused of murdering Cardinal Licorish in 2018.
"Some," Worden responded.
His comments follow reports on Worden's thefts earlier this year. A lawyer for Worden previously told the Toronto Star he tried to take drugs from "inactive" cases.
The admission underscores vulnerabilities in the Toronto Police Service's (TPS) handling of dangerous drug evidence.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) — which was asked to review the TPS's handling of evidence and its decision not to charge Worden criminally — told CBC News last week it will share its report with the Toronto police this month.
Information from the OPP led the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC), the agency that prosecutes federal offences, to stay charges in six drug cases, according to a PPSC spokesperson.
The TPS declined CBC's request for an interview, but said it made changes to its security procedures following Worden's thefts.
"Security measures were enhanced, including additional video surveillance in all property locker rooms service-wide," spokesperson Meaghan Gray said in an email.
"By virtue of the fact that police officers are lawfully allowed to handle drugs routinely it is impossible to entirely eliminate opportunities for abuse."
The case against MacGregor's client was withdrawn last week for unrelated reasons.
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