Former Calgary cop who assaulted handcuffed man sentenced to 90 days in jail served on weekends

A former Calgary police officer who fractured a handcuffed man's skull during an arrest has been sentenced to 90 days in jail, to be served on weekends, plus one year of probation.

Trevor Lindsay was convicted more than two years ago of aggravated assault and his sentencing hearing began seven months ago.

"It has been a long road to reach this point," said Court of Queen's Bench Justice Michael Lema.

In 2015, Lindsay threw Daniel Haworth, who was handcuffed, to the ground head-first, causing a fractured skull and brain injury. 

Prosecutor John Baharustani proposed a two- to three-year sentence while defence lawyer Don MacLeod argued his client should face either an suspended sentence or intermittent sentence of up to 90 days plus probation.

Security footage shows man getting punched repeatedly before he is thrown to ground

8 years ago

Duration 0:42

This graphic security footage shows what appears to be a Calgary police officer punching a man repeatedly before throwing him on the ground.

On May 25, 2015, Haworth was arrested by Lindsay and taken to the arrest processing unit (APU), where surveillance video captured what then took place in the parking lot. 

The video shows Lindsay take Haworth out of the police car and push him up against the cruiser.

The officer then punched Haworth four times before swinging the handcuffed arrestee to the ground, head first.

Lema described the assault as an "overreaction."

The victim's brother testified during the trial that Haworth was never the same after the injuries. He died of a drug overdose months later. 

Above the Law: Helicopter Footage

4 years ago

Duration 0:54

After being abandoned by police in a desolate construction site in -28 C weather, Godfred Addai-Nyamekye called 911. After 15 minutes, a different officer, Const. Trevor Lindsay, arrived on the scene, and Addai-Nyamekye was tasered and beaten. Following the incident, Addai-Nyamekye was charged with having assaulted Const. Lindsay, but helicopter footage of the event helped to prove otherwise.

It was not the first time Lindsay assaulted a handcuffed man and was caught doing so on video.

Much of the evidence at Lindsay's sentencing hearing focused on the excessive force used against Godfred Addai-Nyamekye, which the Crown argued was an aggravating factor.

Lema did make a finding that Lindsay had assaulted Addai-Nyamekye.

Police helicopter video shows Lindsay beating the handcuffed victim.

Until Lindsay's conviction, he'd been suspended with pay. 

Facing two internal disciplinary hearings at CPS, Lindsay quit the service in Sept. 2020.