Former officer appealing ‘spontaneous’ kiss sentence
A lawyer for former Vancouver police Det. Jim Fisher has objected to a judge handing the veteran cop eight months in jail for a single “spontaneous” kiss of a vulnerable crime victim.
“It’s grossly disproportionate to give him eight months in jail for that,” lawyer Bill Smart said during his submissions in the B.C. Court of Appeal on Wednesday.
In August, Fisher, a highly decorated officer, received a total sentence of 20 months in jail for sex-related offences against two young female victims of prostitution rings.
Fisher, who entered guilty pleas to three offences, admitted that he kissed one of the female victims three times, a teen identified only by the initial A due to a publication ban, and the other victim, identified by the initial B, once.
Provincial Court Judge Robert Hamilton sentenced Fisher to 12 months for the breach of trust of A and eight months for the breach of trust of B, to be served consecutively.
Smart told a three-judge panel of the Appeal Court that the thrust of his submissions was that at the time of the breach of trust against B, Fisher was trying to help her get out of a life of prostitution and that it was a brief, “spontaneous” kiss.
He said the kiss was a “terrible” mistake in judgment and added his client had proven he was apologetic and remorseful for his actions.
The incident involving B happened in December 2015 in Fisher’s personal vehicle after he asked her to meet with him to discuss an investigation into a pimp.