We love our cops

“We can only hope and pray that this case plays out in a way that demands some accountability and brings some justice.”

Those are the words of a mother whose boy was killed by a cop...a Mountie no less. In British Columbia.

No, we're not talking about the Mounties' takedown of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver airport in October, 2007 -- the infamous death by taser case. But we are talking about one of the "four horsemen of the stungun" who was involved.

Step forward RCMP Corporal Benjamin Robinson, the officer who was in charge of "serving and protecting" the public...except of course for the unfortunate Dziekanski.

Cpl. Robinson found himself on the wrong side of the law about a year later, on October 25th, 2008, when the vehicle he was driving hit a young man by the name of Orion Hutchinson, who was riding a motorcycle. Less than 2 hours after the lethal impact, local cops gave Robinson the usual breath test. Robinson blew over 80.

An open-and-shut case of impaired driving, or at least driving with blood alcohol content higher than permissible, you might say. But not if you're part of the BC Ministry of the Attorney-General. (In some places they call it the Ministry of Justice, but that's an obvious misnomer.)

After an investigation which dragged on for months -- who knows why? -- the city police report on the death of Orion Hutchison was turned over to the A-G's criminal justice branch. And it would be months again before a decision on whether to go ahead with charges was reached.

On Tuesday, the Crown decided against charging Cpl. Robinson with impaired driving, but recommended pressing forward with a charge of attempting to obstruct justice. A conviction on the lesser charge -- much lesser -- would probably result in nothing more than probation and maybe a fine. That's if a conviction were registered.

No explanation for the delay or the laying of a relatively minor charge was given by the Crown. Surely it has nothing to do with the fact that the person who killed Hutchinson was a cop -- a cop implicated in another unlawful killing just a year before.

But that's justice, Canadian style. When was the last time you heard of a cop -- any cop -- being prosecuted with the full force of the law and actually convicted of a serious crime for killing anyone? Answers on the back of a postage stamp please to "Our cops can do no wrong", c/o Walt.