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Struggling with addiction, M urray used pills for 'own personal use' NEWS • Continued from page 3 Defence attorney Joanne Mul- cahy is seeking a conditional dis­ charge - "preferably an absolute discharge" - with community ser­ vice, while the crown is seeking a suspended sentence, with 18 months probation and 150 to 200 hours of meaningful community service. Justice David Harris, who not­ ed that it w ill take several weeks to go through the 40 cases o f law that the defence and crown spoke to, said that sentencing w ill take place on June 7, at 9 a.m. in M il­ ton court. Court heard that Murray, 39, a 16-year member of the HRP, was arrested and charged on May 28, 2017, after an internal audit and later an independent investiga­ tion by the Toronto Police Service (TPS) into the HRP drug vault anoma­ lies that oc­ curred be­ tween Au­ gust 2015 and April 2016. Murray, at the time of his arrest, was the Det./ Staff-Sgt of the HRP drug and morality unit, a position he held since 2013. As head o f the unit, it also placed him in charge o f the drug vault where an audit found that there were issues relating to missing items. Crown Attorney Peter Scrut- ton told court through an agreed statement o f fact that Murray en­ tered the vault, accessing an ex­ hibit containing 44 OxyContin pills, that he replaced with anoth­ er product in an effort to deal with chronic pain. TPS investigation revealed that evidence package found three fingerprints on the packing tape o f the bag that were deter­ mined to belong to Murray. Scrutton said that since 2003, Murray has undergone seven surgeries on his knee due to inju­ ries suffered either on the job or during soccer, a pastime he en­ joyed. During that time, he was pre­ scribed numerous prescription drugs to manage the pain caused by surgery or injury. He had sought a knee replace­ ment, but surgeons told him he was too young to undergo such a process. After several consulta­ tions, however, Murray is sched­ uled to undergo a knee replace­ ment in August. Court also heard that in 2006, his son was born with congenital heart disease. Due to the stress of that, Murray was placed on anxi­ ety and anti-depressant medica­ tions. Prior to being charged, Mur­ ray, to deal with his addiction, was admitted to Guelph-based Homewood, where he was diag­ nosed with a severe opioid disor­ der. He was treated from March 14 to April 18, 2017. From May 2017 to Jan. 8, 2018, he completed a Homewood out-patient drug treatment program. He remains an active participant in A A and he has a sponsor with them. He volunteers with addiction re­ sources that help front-line offi­ cers through Homewood. He is being treated by a police psychol­ ogist, who diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD), due to many traumatic incidenc­ es he has dealt with in his career; he was also diagnosed with a major depressive disorder. In 2018, Murray completed an addic­ tion care program from McMaster Uni­ versity. Mulcahy emphat­ ically asked Harris to take into consideration that Murray took the pills for his own personal use to deal with an addiction to pre­ scription pain medication that had been as the result of "chronic pain, injuries and surgeries that he has undergone and suffered from, since 2002." She cited the fact that Murray, who's suspended with pay, had sought counselling for his addic­ tion prior to being charged with any offences. She also noted that his addiction was not one made through the use of recreational drugs such as cocaine. She said NOMINATED FOR 2018 CANADIAN TRAINER OF THE YEAR 647-896-3294 461 North Service Rd. W., Ut B36 www .prim alath letics.ca "H e should have been protecting the exhibits to be used as evidence not to deal with his addictions." - Justice David Harris Murray's addiction was due to ad­ diction to prescription medica­ tions to deal with pain caused by recurring injuries and seven sur­ geries to his left knee. "This is not addressing an ad­ diction to the use of illicit drugs such as cocaine or the illicit sale or trafficking of drugs," she said, adding that several independent urine samples done since March 2017 have all been clean. She also noted that Murray had asked on several locations for a transfer out o f the drug unit. Crown Attorney Peter Scrut- ton is seeking a suspended sen­ tence, with 18 months probation, with terms that include meaning­ ful community service in terms o f hours. Mulcahy, in asking for a dis­ charge, stated that Murray has been an exemplary member of HRP and that he had received commendation from the Chief of Police in 2015. His evaluations in­ clude descriptors such as great contributor, and numerous other positive commendations from su­ pervisors. She also included several let­ ters from other police officers, members o f his A A groups, and people he's helped in the commu­ nity in her submission to Harris. Family and friends submitted letters, including one from his son. "The letters highlight the re­ morse and shame he feels for his actions and a number o f these let­ ters highlight the amount o f pain he was undergoing as a result of injuries and surgery, and what a success this rehabilitation has been," Mulcahy stated. "His wife sees this as almost like a gift," she said, as Murray, Graham Paine/Metroland Halton Regional Police Staff/Sgt. Brad Murray. who's wife and other family mem­ bers were in court to support him, wiped away tears with a tis­ sue. "She speaks o f there being a fourth family member . addic­ tion. M y once-confident and healthy husband was in denial and too proud to get help. "Throughout his struggles to be transferred out o f the drug unit and into a different role, I witnessed first hand his moodi­ ness, quick temperament . kick­ ing and screaming in his sleep. "This is a blessing in disguise - the charges and the fallout, how­ ever embarrassing or scrutiniz­ ing they may be." Mulcahy read that his wife said that he is handling it like ev­ ery challenge he's faced, with dedication and passion, seeking therapy. "He reassures me regularly that he w ill take care of us." Scrutton, who's an out-of­ town crown, as was demanded, noted that Murray must have re- Need a Professional Mover? www.highenergytransport.com 416-684-2419 Voted BEST MOVER in Oakville. Call to get a FREE QUOTE. CS B S S a Installing Doors & Windows Since 1982 A sk us abou t how to ge t 9 0 5 -8 4 9 -7 8 0 0 george@supremewindows.com w w w .s u p re m e w in d o w s .c o m alized how serious his action was. "He must have known how se­ rious this was as he was commit­ ting the transgression," he said. "The whole purpose o f this vault is not to have this happen." Harris agreed, stating "he's head of the unit. He would be a su­ perior officer and others might have seen him in the vault ... He should have been protecting the exhibits to be used as evidence, not to deal with his addictions." Murray still faces disciplinary procedures under the Police Ser­ vices Act. It should be noted that the Police Services Act proceed­ ings arise out of the same facts that underlie the criminal charg­ es that were laid against Murray in 2017. One o f the possible out­ comes upon a finding o f miscon­ duct is Murray's dismissal from the Halton Regional Police Ser­ vice and termination of his em­ ployment. Chief Stephen Tanner said Monday that he was happy to hear a guilty plea. "I am pleased to have learned that a guilty plea to the criminal charge of breach of trust was en­ tered by Staff Sgt. Brad Murray in criminal court," he said. "This is just one step in the disciplinary process. Murray remains sus­ pended under the Police Services Act of Ontario, and that suspen­ sion is with pay (the only suspen­ sion currently allowed under the Act). Now that the criminal com­ ponent has been concluded, we w ill proceed with the internal disciplinary process. One o f the outcomes that is possible through the Police Services Act hearing process would be dis­ missal from the service and ter­ mination of employment." Need New Windows? 3245 Harvester Rd, Burlington 905-333-6705 Diamond Award Winner Visit their showroom to shop for Windows & Doors. 27| O akvilleB eaver | T hursday, A pril 26,2018 insidehalton.com http://www.primalathletics.ca http://www.highenergytransport.com mailto:george@supremewindows.com http://www.supremewindows.com