Trial set for Codiac RCMP officer accused of assault

A three-day trial next April has been set for an RCMP officer in southeastern New Brunswick accused of assaulting a person in police custody last June.

Codiac Regional RCMP Const. Billy Michel Parent-Roy, 29, faces a single charge of assault causing bodily harm. The assault allegedly occurred in Shediac at around 11:40 p.m. on June 29, 2022.

Defence lawyer Gilles Lemieux appeared on behalf of Parent-Roy Thursday morning in Moncton provincial court, and requested trial dates.

Judge Brigitte Volpé set the trial for April 8, 9, and 10 next year.

Outside the courtroom, Lemieux declined to comment on the case. 

The charge was laid in March following an investigation by Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team, which is contracted by New Brunswick to investigate incidents that stem from police actions. 

In a July 2022 news release, New Brunswick RCMP said the force had requested the agency investigate a June 29 incident with a 51-year-old man detained under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act.

The man was transported to the Shediac RCMP detachment because Codiac RCMP cells in Moncton were closed at the time.

The news release said the man was in handcuffs and leg cuffs. 

"While being moved to the cell area, an altercation ensued between the man and four RCMP members," the release stated. It also said that an officer was injured, but the 51-year-old man was not injured. 

A month later, RCMP asked SIRT to investigate. The officer was placed on administrative duties Aug. 4.