Toronto

Officer who shot Sammy Yatim pleads guilty to perjury, gets 6 months added to sentence

A Toronto police officer convicted of attempted murder in the fatal shooting of a troubled teen on an empty streetcar, has had six months added to his prison sentence after pleading guilty to perjury and breaching bail.

Const. James Forcillo fatally shot Yatim, 18, on empty streetcar in 2013

Const. James Forcillo will learn the result of his appeal of his attempted murder conviction in the 2013 shooting of Sammy Yatim.
Const. James Forcillo pleaded guilty to perjury in a Toronto court on Thursday. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)
A Toronto police officer convicted of attempted murder in the fatal shooting of a troubled teen on an empty streetcar, has had six months added to his prison sentence after pleading guilty to perjury.

Const. James Forcillo had fired two separate volleys at Sammy Yatim as the 18-year-old was standing alone holding a small knife on a streetcar in 2013. 

A jury convicted Forcillo of attempted murder in 2016 and he was sentenced to six years in prison.

Forcillo was out on bail pending an appeal of his conviction in November 2017 when police found him living at the home of his new fiancée and not with his ex-wife, as the court had instructed him to. He was charged with breaching bail, perjury and attempting to obstruct justice. 

His lawyers say he pleaded guilty to perjury in a Toronto court on Thursday, and the other new charges were dropped.

Ontario's top court dismissed Forcillo's appeal on his attempted murder conviction last month.

Corrections

  • A previous version stated incorrectly that Forcillo pleaded guilty to multiple charges.
    May 31, 2018 6:30 PM ET