Halton officer Brad Murray gets conditional discharge, probation for stealing opioids:
MILTON — A Halton drug detective who pleaded guilty to stealing opioids from a police evidence locker to feed his addiction said bullying from fellow officers is one factor that led to his downfall.
However the police chief called the bullying claim “self-serving” and said there is “no proof of these things.”
Staff Sgt. Brad Murray alleged officers in the Halton Regional Police drug unit taunted him about his weight, took naked pictures of him and ridiculed his private parts.
That, along with the expiry of prescriptions to combat severe knee pain, led Murray to steal oxycodone pills from the evidence locker he supervised, court heard Thursday.
Murray, 39, was handed a conditional discharge and three years probation after pleading guilty to one count of breach of trust. Four other charges were withdrawn.
Murray’s claims of bullying were never heard in open court nor were they included in an agreed statement of facts. The claims were made public in Justice David Harris’s written “reasons for sentence.” They originate in a report by Murray’s psychologist who treated him for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety.
Murray, a veteran cop with several commendations, described the drug unit as “a toxic work environment.”
Harris listed examples from the psychologist’s report:
“He was relentlessly taunted for his weight, the appearance of his body and genitalia, and the clothing he wore. He reported that this verbal abuse occurred both in private, as well as in public. Vulgar and shaming things were broadcast about him over the police radio during surveillance operations. His colleagues on the drug team regularly and purposefully embarrassed him in front of members of other teams.”
After Murray’s son was born with a heart defect and had to undergo surgery, “not only did members of his team fail to extend any sympathy or kindness for his son’s struggles, but they vandalized pictures he had of his son on his desk,” the judge wrote.
“While away on training with the drug team, someone took pictures of him while sleeping naked on a hotel room bed and then secretly inserted these pictures in a workshop presentation Mr. Murray had put together.”
Another time, during training involving a hazmat protective suit with an oxygen tank, a unit member purposely sealed the suit incorrectly leaving Murray without air.
The report said Murray’s PTSD arises from calls he attended, including a child run over by a school bus and a stabbing spree at a party, as well as attending autopsies and suicides.
Harris wrote: “His history brings home the fact that police officers often have to deal with numerous traumatic incidents during the course of their careers. In Mr. Murray’s case, he also had to deal with what I can only describe as an appalling degree of harassment by police colleagues.”
“I have never heard of any of the complaints of bullying — ever,” Chief Stephen Tanner said in an interview. “I find it disappointing that an individual can bring up several issues at his trial for the very first time.”
“Individuals before the court might say a lot of things to better their position … I do not see this as an individual prone to bullying. Myself and many others would be surprised by him being bullied by anyone.”
Tanner said he has “no concerns” about the drug unit’s culture. Asked if there will be a probe into the bullying allegations, he said: “That is not an immediate concern of mine.”
Murray, through his lawyer Joanne Mulcahy, declined an interview after his sentencing. He is to perform 240 hours of community service.
Tanner criticized the sentence, saying, “Judges consider a lot of different things, and I think this was balanced a bit more on the mitigating factors and could have taken the seriousness of the offence more into consideration.”
Murray still faces Police Services Act charges and may be fired.
Murray, supported in court by his wife, was a promising officer when he was hired in 2001.
“On the surface, everything seemed to be going very well,” wrote Harris. “Unfortunately, problems of Titanic proportions lurked beneath the surface.”
Work and sport injuries left Murray with a damaged knee. He has had seven surgeries. Doctors prescribed painkillers. By the time they ran out, Murray was addicted.
In January 2014, he was promoted to staff sergeant in the drug unit, where he worked for years as a detective.
In November 2016, an audit of the drug vault found discrepancies. Toronto Police Service was asked to investigate.
A drug bust in August 2015 netted 70 oxycodone pills that police sealed in an evidence bag. A week later, an officer processing the seizure photographed a bag of 44 oxycodone pills.
When Toronto police later examined the bag, they found 44 pills that did not match those in the photo. Fingerprints on the seal belonged to Murray.
The Crown and defence agree Murray stole the oxycodone pills for his own use.
Murray’s arrest led to numerous charges dropped against drug suspects out of concern evidence was tampered with.
Murray told court that for years he asked supervisors to transfer him out of the unit.
Tanner refuted that claim. “My understanding is that was the unit where Brad Murray wanted to be.”
Murray said he never told bosses why he wanted out, an omission the judge criticized.
The chief said if an officer asks for help with addiction, the service will provide it.
Murray entered a drug treatment program before his arrest and has been clean for more than a year. He goes to AA meetings. He has completed an addiction counsellor diploma and volunteers at a food bank.