Justice Anne Molloy, a highly regarded figure on the Ontario Superior Court, delivered a decisive verdict in the 2024 trial of Umar Zameer. She concluded that three undercover officers, colleagues of the deceased Jeffrey Northrup, had deliberately misled the court regarding the circumstances of Northrup’s death in a downtown Toronto garage on July 2, 2021.
The officers – Detective Constables Lisa Forbes, Scharnil Pais, and Antonio Correa – testified under oath that Zameer intentionally struck Northrup with his car, even with his toddler and pregnant wife present. Their accounts painted a picture of deliberate aggression, a claim that would ultimately be challenged.
However, their testimony sharply contrasted with the findings of the Crown’s own reconstruction expert, Sergeant Jeff Bassingthwaite of the Toronto Police. Bassingthwaite determined Northrup was positioned to the side of the vehicle and sustained only a glancing blow as Zameer reversed, inadvertently knocking him into the path of the moving car.
A jury accepted Zameer’s account of a terrifying encounter, believing he panicked when approached by shouting individuals while an unmarked van blocked his exit. They concluded Northrup’s death was a tragic accident, a verdict that led Justice Molloy to offer Zameer a sincere apology, and the Crown to forgo an appeal.
Molloy’s criticism of the officers was particularly pointed. She observed that their remarkably consistent, yet inaccurate, recollections raised serious questions about the integrity of their evidence, leading her to conclude they had not only lied, but had colluded to do so.
Now, a newly released report from the Ontario Provincial Police casts a startlingly different light on the case. Ordered by Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw, the “independent review” seemingly exonerates the three officers, asserting Northrup was indeed standing directly in front of the BMW when he was struck.
The 55-page OPP report claims the officers had no opportunity to coordinate their stories and identifies significant flaws in the collision theories presented by both the Toronto Police and the defense. The OPP reconstructionist found evidence – contact marks on the bumper, audible warning tones, and overlooked tire marks – that supported their revised assessment.
Going further, the OPP’s expert even questioned Zameer’s innocence, stating the collision wasn’t a chance encounter. They determined the two vehicles were in proximity for a full 76 seconds before impact, a detail that challenges Zameer’s claim of a sudden, panicked reaction.
Skepticism is warranted, however. The full OPP report hasn’t been publicly released, nor has it been subjected to courtroom scrutiny. The OPP’s conspicuous absence from the Toronto Police news conference only deepens the sense of unease surrounding the findings.
Despite these concerns, Chief Demkiw declared his officers exonerated after two years of hardship. The Toronto Police Association president, Clayton Campbell, echoed this sentiment, demanding an apology from Justice Molloy. He bluntly stated, “Today, I clearly say to Justice Molloy: you were wrong.”
However, an apology is unlikely and unwarranted. Justice Molloy based her judgment on the expert evidence presented at the time, not on a belated report that contradicts established findings. Any anger over the outcome should be directed at the original Toronto Police expert, not the respected judge who relied on their analysis.
