N.B. Mountie who assaulted handcuffed man released from jail pending appeal

New BrunswickA Codiac Regional RCMP officer who was sentenced Monday to four months in jail for beating a man whose hands and feet were bound during an arrest has been released from custody pending an appeal.Billy Parent-Roy was sentenced Monday for assault causing bodily harm during 2022 arrestConst. Billy Parent-Roy was released from jail Thursday, three days after being sentenced to four months for assault causing bodily harm. (Rachel Gauvin/Radio-Canada)A Codiac Regional RCMP officer who was sentenced Monday to four months in jail for beating a man whose hands and feet were bound during an arrest has been released from custody pending an appeal.Const. Billy Parent-Roy was scheduled to have a hearing in Moncton’s Court of King’s Bench on Thursday, but it was removed from the docket.Instead, a release order was filed with the court and Parent-Roy was released with conditions. He must keep the peace and be of good behaviour, have no contact with the victim, Craig Hachey, attend his court appearances, and return to custody within 24 hours of his appeal being withdrawn or rejected, the order signed by Justice Robert Dysart shows.Parent-Roy was found guilty in March of assault causing bodily harm to Hachey while detaining him at the Shediac RCMP detachment on June 29, 2022, under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act. Surveillance video showed Parent-Roy, who was in his late-20s at the time, punching Hachey repeatedly in the back, kneeing him in the chest, grabbing him by the neck and standing on his calves for a short time while three other officers pinned the 51-year-old to the floor.The Crown had recommended a sentence of 30 to 60 days, but Judge Ronald LeBlanc imposed the harsher sentence, citing the excessive force Parent-Roy used on Hachey, who was defenceless, with his wrists handcuffed behind his back and his feet in chains. The judge also pointed to Hachey’s injuries, including a fractured rib and elbow, cuts, bruises and a black eye.”In my opinion, Parent-Roy’s moral culpability in this instance is high,” LeBlanc said, calling the offence by the officer a breach of trust.Defence lawyer Gilles Lemieux told reporters at the time that he was disappointed and intended to appeal.His colleague Alison Ménard has since filed a notice of appeal of the conviction and sentence, he told CBC News Friday.