Court to rule in April on whether Sudbury police officer threatened a kid

Aya Dufour · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 5:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The proceedings of Melisa Rancourt wrapped connected Friday with 3 much witnesses describing what they saw successful the corridor of the dressing rooms aft a heated hockey crippled successful Espanola successful February 2024. 

Rancourt is simply a Sudbury constabulary serviceman and was the caput manager of the Espanola squad erstwhile she allegedly threatened to interruption the ankles of a 12-year-old subordinate from the Walden team. 

The 3 witnesses called connected Friday, Sonia Botelho, Greg Wells and Cheyenne Kitchikake, are parents of children successful the Espanola team. 

They were successful the corridor erstwhile the incidental took place. All 3 said they did not perceive Rancourt utter a threat. 

Their grounds focused connected the behaviour of a cardinal witnesser for the Crown prosecutors, Maverine Bain. 

Bain is the parent of a Walden subordinate who testified successful tribunal Thursday that she heard the menace astir breaking ankles. 

Botelho described seeing Bain acting aggressively, confronting Rancourt and "flailing arms astir arsenic if she was a kid throwing a tantrum." 

Her fiancé, Greg Wells, besides says Bain was the 1 to origin a disturbance. 

As for Kitchikake, helium maintains helium heard Rancourt springiness the subordinate a informing astir unsportsmanlike conduct. He says Bain was yelling and swearing. 

Asked if helium had spoken to Rancourt aft the incident, Kitchikake said no, and that helium "was amazed the OPP didn't travel to inquire america what happened." 

In tribunal yesterday the justice tossed retired the disturbance complaint against Rancourt due to the fact that of a deficiency of grounds aft the tribunal reviewed information video footage from a CCTV camera successful the corridor. 

It's the 2nd complaint to beryllium dropped successful this lawsuit – the archetypal was an battle complaint that was withdrawn by the Crown successful July, besides due to the fact that of a deficiency of evidence. 

The charges were based connected grounds fixed by Bain and the 12-year-old subordinate to constabulary connected the time aft the game. 

Court heard recordings taken astatine the constabulary presumption successful which Bain and the young subordinate picture Rancourt putting her hands connected the precocious assemblage of the young subordinate aft uttering the threat.

Video footage shows lone a little speech betwixt Rancourt and the player, and nary carnal contact.

In his closing remarks, the Crown authoritative acknowledged determination were inconsistencies successful the grounds of his witnesses, but argued the justice should inactive judge portion of their evidence. 

A verdict is expected connected April 22. 

Rancourt has been suspended from work with wage since February 2024.