Forcillo’s bail revoked, he goes to prison
Toronto officer will start six-year sentence in 2013 Yatim killing
Const. James Forcillo will go to prison and wait for an appeal hearing after his bail was revoked Wednesday.
Forcillo will remain in custody while a charge of breaching his bail is dealt with in court. He will then begin serving his prison sentence.
The Toronto police officer was convicted of attempted murder in 2016, in the 2013 shooting death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim.
Forcillo has been in police custody since Nov.15, when he allegedly violated his bail conditions, which said he was required to stay with his now ex-wife and their two children in his Vaughan home.
Forcillo’s ex-wife, Irina Ratushnyak, and her parents each signed a surety in the combined amount of $510,000, money pledged to the court if Forcillo breached his bail conditions or failed to show up in court.
This week, they declined to remain his sureties, CTV reported.
Forcillo was arrested after he was found at the apartment of his fiancée, Sara Balderrama.
The officer said he planned to move into the apartment with Balderrama and filed an application earlier in November to have his address changed and add her as his surety.
Before that could happen, two officers knocked on the apartment door on Nov. 14, and Forcillo answered. He was charged with failing to comply with his recognizance the following day.
The investigators were allegedly looking to assess Balderrama’s North York apartment when they found him there.
“Good morning, James, you are not supposed to be here,” one of the investigators said, according to court documents filed on behalf of the attorney general.
“I know, it is only temporary, I’m not here all the time, it is just temporary,” Forcillo replied.
On Nov. 16, the attorney general filed a notice with the Ontario Court of Appeal asking a judge to revoke Forcillo’s bail due to the breached house arrest.
The court file included a photo of Forcillo’s name on the intercom directory at the apartment lobby where he answered the door.
There is also a copy of the lease signed Oct. 29 by Forcillo and Balderrama.
News outlets reported that Forcillo will be held locally until Dec. 15, when he will appear in court again to assess whether there is a reason for a bail hearing for breaching conditions.
After that, he will be transferred to a federal prison.
Forcillo’s appeal is expected to be heard in 2018. With files from Betsy Powell