RCMP informant suing government after identity allegedly revealed to suspect

The allegations have not been proven in court and the attorney general has not filed a statement of defence.

“The RCMP respects that this matter is before the courts and we will therefore restrict our comments accordingly and only through the judicial process,” the B.C. RCMP said in a statement.

The statement says in August 2016, an officer contacted Doe and told her she was in danger.

“As it was explained to Jane Doe, information that effectively identified Jane Doe as a confidential human source … was included in materials disclosed to one or more of the suspects who had been the subjects of the arrests,” the statement of claim says.

One or more of the suspects were free on bail at the time and were themselves part of or connected with organized criminal groups, it says.

“Immediately thereafter representatives of the RCMP advised Jane Doe there was a risk to her safety, and the safety of her immediate family, and that it was therefore necessary for her to enter ‘protective custody,’ ” the document says.

From August 2016 to March 2018, the statement says the couple moved from place to place, away from their home and in protective custody.

They discussed entering the witness protection program but allege that while RCMP recommended the program based on the level of danger facing them, it concluded they were not suitable candidates, in part because they had close ties to extended family in or near the so-called “threat area,” the document says.

In March, the couple agreed to an “alternative arrangement” with the RCMP and accepted relocation funding for themselves and family members. The alternative arrangement did not include any release by the plaintiffs of any claim or claims for damages arising from the circumstances that led to their need for protection, the court document says.

It says Doe was in a vulnerable position and relied on the police for advice and guidance, but the RCMP’s assurances that she faced no risk were “false, reckless and misleading in all the circumstances and amounted to breaches of duty on the part of the RCMP and its members.”

The couple has moved to a community with fewer economic opportunities and has suffered a loss of income and income earning capacity, the lawsuit says. They have already or will likely suffer from chronic mood disorders and/or post-traumatic stress disorder and mental distress from constantly moving, the statement says.

— By Amy Smart in Vancouver.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

RCMP informant suing government after identity allegedly revealed to suspect

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