EX-RCMP sergeant gets house arrest
Former officer attempted to shield son from police after car crashed into house
His father was first on the scene and allowed Hillier Jr. to leave in the vehicle. His father then went home and changed out of his police uniform before returning to the crash site to collect debris.
A former RCMP sergeant who tried to protect his son from criminal charges after he crashed his vehicle through a fence and into a home in Upper Island Cove will serve nine months of house arrest.
Brent Hillier, 46, pleaded guilty in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s Tuesday morning to a charge of breaching trust and was sentenced after his defence lawyer and the Crown made a joint suggestion for the nine-month conditional sentence.
“Suffice it to say, Mr. Hillier embarked on a misguided attempted to shield his son from police scrutiny,” said Justice Donald Burrage, adding Hillier and his family had suffered as a result of his crime, which led to the end of his career with the RCMP and the tarnishing of his credibility and reputation.
“I would just like to start by apologizing to the courts and saying I’m sorry for the events that have transpired,” Hillier said, as his sentencing hearing took place by videoconference.
He also apologized to his family, the RCMP and the homeowner whose property was damaged. The court heard Hillier had given the man $5,200 for the repairs.
“I’m more sorry for the embarrassment brought towards my community,” Hillier said.
Hillier, a former commanding officer of the Bay Roberts RCMP detachment, responded on June 1, 2018 to a report of a suspected impaired driver in Upper Island Cove and arrived to find his son, Brent Hillier Jr.
According to the facts read in court last year at the younger Hillier’s sentencing hearing, he had slammed his car into a convenience store twice before crashing into a utility pole, a fence and a house.
His father was first on the scene and allowed Hillier Jr. to leave in the vehicle. His father then went home and changed out of his police uniform before returning to the crash site to collect debris.
The homeowners reportedly called the RCMP to ask for a different officer after Hillier Sr. offered to pay a contractor to fix the damage.
The younger Hillier, whom the court heard now suffers from multiple mental-health issues and other disorders, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance. He received six months of house arrest, a two-year driving ban and a $2,000 fine.
Then-sgt. Hillier was charged after the RCMP received complaints from the public about his response to the incident. The RCMP asked the province to appoint an outside organization — the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary — to investigate.
Hillier spent 18 years as a Mountie before leaving the force. He was automatically disqualified from the RCMP after pleading guilty.
His lawyer, Nick Avis, noted Hillier was an accomplished instructor in the RCMP and has taken the lead on numerous charity projects over the years, both as a representative of the police force and personally.
“He was more than simply an RCMP officer in the community and for that he is to be commended,” Burrage said.
Hillier is under order to remain in his residence for the next nine months, with exceptions for shopping and medical appointments as approved by a probation officer.