March 21, 2016
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx
Barristers & Solicitors LLP
XXXX Xxxxxxx Street East
Suite 1500
Toronto, ON
XXX XXX
Re: Peel Police Services Board et al ats Cassista (Shawn)
Xxxxxxx File No. XXXXXXXX-XX
Mr. Xxxxxxxxxxxx,
In response to your letter dated March 8, 2016 and your request to move the matter forward, I will be in contact with my lawyer in the very near future to initiate the next stages of this matter.
With regard to your invitation to discuss a reasonable settlement offer, it is my belief that the established settlement offer is more than reasonable: $XXX,XXX plus full expenses.
Please allow me to re-iterate the actions and the seriousness of these actions, by individuals working for the police and who are entrusted by the community to perform their duties with the best interests of the public in mind:
- The evening that I was arrested – was an unlawful arrest – as much of the evidence supports that I was not impaired.
- The officer directly assaulted me when he pepper sprayed me without justification whatsoever.
- The officer held me in his vehicle; hands cuffed behind my back and in pain with burning eyes and without medical treatment for approximately 40 minutes which felt like an eternity and was a very traumatic experience for me that was completely uncalled for. In my view, this action could be deemed torture and it left me emotionally scarred for a couple of weeks following said incident.
- I was detained and incarcerated for approximately 4 hours, once again, without justification whatsoever.
- The officer completely fabricated a report that justified a bogus Assault with Intent to Resist Arrest charge against me after he could not make an Impaired charge stick.
- He repeated the numerous lies in court committing perjury and the trial judge even found his testimony “hard to believe” (the judge also made clear statements about this in his judgement, saying it, “…raises the suspicion in my mind that he was just trying to find a charge that he could make stick” and “…he charged Mr. Cassista with the assault charge because he did not want him to get away scot free”).
- Because of this officer’s actions I had to endure, publicly, a malicious prosecution.
- Because of this officer’s actions I had to endure financial stress resulting from this event.
- Because of this officer’s actions and because I had already lost faith in the justice system – I was caused added stress from the day I read the fabricated report until the day I heard the judgement because I believed that I could actually be convicted of a criminal charge for an event that never even occurred.
- It also appears to me that a conspiracy took place when the officer in question testified that he was overruled by his Staff Sergeant (yet to be named) on the Impaired Surely, he must have had some say in the Assault/Resist Arrest charge?
- My vehicle was also searched, without my consent, numerous times by different officers from the Peel Regional Police in a complete contradiction of my Charter rights.
Everything that has taken place involving the aforesaid incident indicates a crime was committed against me by the self-same, entrusted, oath-taking officers of the Peel Regional Police.
So as you can see, from a reasonable man’s perspective, the amount for settlement is more than fair for the many points that I have indicated above.
I would also like to see the officer own up to his grossly negligent act of misconduct and resign his position immediately in the best interests of the public. His future testimonies will no longer have any weight and/or are seriously questionable. He has more than likely caused damage in other people’s lives as he apparently has no issues taking the Bible in his hand and swearing an oath to God to speak the truth but clearly doing the opposite.
Of course, I do not expect any such thing to occur, but I will do whatever I can to hold him accountable and see that justice is done.
In the name of truth, freedom and justice,
Shawn Cassista