A Toronto Police Service constable charged in a massive corruption probe has lost a bid for freedom after his detention was ordered to be upheld.
Constable Timothy Barnhardt was among the seven active and one retired Toronto police officers charged in February in the Project South probe. He was the only one of the accused officers to be denied bail, and he challenged his detention.
On Wednesday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden upheld the earlier decision to detain Mr. Barnhardt while he awaits trial. The details of the judge’s bail review decision are covered by a publication ban.
Seven Toronto police officers facing charges in Project South probe suspended without pay
Constable Barnhardt is a central police figure in Project South, which also resulted in charges against about 20 civilians. The officers face charges that they leaked sensitive information to organized-crime figures, who allegedly used the data to set up intimidation campaigns and shootings of residences in the Greater Toronto Area.
The allegations against Mr. Barnhardt and the others charged in the Project South case have not been tested in court.
The Project South case last week led to the appointment of a retired Ontario Court of Appeal judge, William Hourigan, to examine the systemic potential for corruption and data snooping within more than 40 police services in the province.