THUNDER BAY — A Thunder Bay Police Service officer who was recently convicted of assault causing bodily harm will be returning to court early next year for sentencing.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled in early January 2024 for Const. Andrew Frankow.
Last month, Frankow was found guilty of assault causing bodily harm by Justice David Gibson following a two-day trial held in August 2023.
Evidence presented at trial, which included body-worn camera footage, showed Frankow attending a call outside city hall the afternoon of April 3, 2022, for reports of people consuming alcohol inside a bus shelter.
Shortly after arriving on scene, Frankow approached a 33-year-old Indigenous man, took a container of alcohol from his pocket, and proceeded to pour it out in front of him. When the man reached for the container twice, Frankow grabbed him by the coat and punched him in the face.
The man was knocked unconscious and he was treated in hospital for bruising and a fractured cheek bone.
The Special Investigation Unit found there were enough grounds to charge Frankow with assault causing bodily harm.
Gibson said in his decision that Frankow “acted in a cavalier and provocative manner” during his brief interaction with the man and that his actions were unreasonable and unlawful.
Under the Criminal Code of Canada, the maximum penalty for a conviction of assault causing bodily harm is 10 years imprisonment.
The Thunder Bay Police Service said an internal investigation will be launched into the matter following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.
