Abdirahman Abdi: Ottawa Police Present Witness Intimidation Risk

One major concern about the Abdirahman Abdi case is that Ottawa Police Services has had a history of obstructing justice. Such a concern specifically relates to a case in which the Ottawa Police intimidated witnesses who were seeking to testify in behalf of a victim. Could history repeat itself?

On 12 June 2015, Raymond had met his Mom, Dezrin, at the Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Resource Centre. He had been forcibly separated from his Mom by Police in late April 2015 after Raymond had witnessed abuse taking place by his father against his Mom. His father, Horace, then had him illegally evicted by the Ottawa Police Services to prevent Raymond from seeking to shelter his Mom from ongoing abuse and neglect by his father. By the time Raymond saw his Mom again thanks to a legal demand letter from a lawyer, his Mom had lost the ability to talk, write and walk having suffered unfettered abuse at the hands of the father. Raymond was shocked and uncontrollably cried for days afterward for days at what his Mom now looked liked. It was apparent that Ottawa Police Detective Isabelle Coady had shamefully and gratuitously lied that his Mom “was being looked after”.

Ms Alison Timmons who is a social services worker who is from the Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Resource Centre told Raymond that she and her colleague were willing to help Raymond by testifying in court that the father had been blocking their ability to provide vitally needed assistance. Such testimony would also uncover the fact that Ottawa Police Detective Isabelle Coady who coordinated the Elder Abuse Unit, was negligent in safeguarding Dezrin from ongoing elder spousal abuse.

Raymond told this information to Detective Robert Griffin on 12 June 2015. Raymond thought that Detective Griffin was a responsible representative of the Ottawa Police Services.

Detective Griffin told Raymond that he would “visit” Ms Allison Timmons and her staff on Monday, 15 June 2015. But, as it turns out, Detective Robert Griffin was not the “honest cop” that Raymond thought. It was apparent that Detective Robert Griffin's “visit” consisted of making “unspecific threats” against Ms Timmons and her staff that made her retract her previous offer by her and her staff member to testify in court in support of Raymond.

Detective Griffin also apparently directed the social service workers at the Nepean, Osgoode and Rideau Community Resource Centre not to provide their community space any longer to enable Raymond to meet his sick and elderly Mom and further directed this Centre to cease and desist all contact with Raymond. The Centre complied with Detective Griffin's “request” by sending a letter to Raymond dated 15 June 2015 that he was not to contact them ever against.

Raymond's lawyer who had sent the Legal Demand was shocked at this turn of events that he had said he never before experienced, and especially so with a social services agency.

It became apparent that Detective Griffin and his fellow “dirty cops: who he apparently works with was “hired” by Raymond's father to seek out and intimidate any witness that could testify of seeing abuse. The work of Detective Griffin did not stop at intimidating social service workers and neighbours.

Detective Griffin came to Raymonds residence in broad daylight. While Raymond was just about to enter his residence with his groceries he heard a loud screeching noise behind him. When Raymond quickly turned around he saw a brown-peach coloured car quickly accelerating to fence Raymond's car in the driveway like a scene from a movie.

Detective Griffin then proceeded to make wild threats in broad daylight under the watchful eye of neighbours. One neighbour shouted in support, “Do you need any help Raymond”.

This is when Detective Griffin began threatening Raymond that if did not discontinue informing relatives of his father’s abuse against his Mom and related matters, Raymond would be charged by him with “criminal harassment.” Raymond proceeded to tell Detective Griffin that such threats were a violation of his free speech pursuant to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Having been rebuffed, Detective Griffin began making more threats that included banging down his door late at nigh in plain clothes for 30 minutes alleging that he wanted to give him a key, as he shouted though the door a variety of harassing utterances. Raymond recalled that the experience reminded him of one of those movies featuring ordinary citizens fleeing from “dirty cops”. His threats were also accompanied by harassing text messages, phone calls and email.

When Raymond had called the Ottawa Police to complain, Ottawa Police refused to investigate ad referred the matter to basically a “Human Resources” operative with no substantive accountability. And mass media organizations which included CTV Ottawa, the Ottawa Sun, the Ottawa Citizen and CBC had shown no interest in providing any investigative coverage.

Police abuses in Ottawa occurs in an organizational context in which there's a lack of accountability and where the media only takes interest after ordinary citizens can take video that goes viral/

Are witnesses in the Abdirahman Abdi also vulnerable to witness intimidation? If so, they may have no institution to turn to in order to seek relief and especially the police itself that covers up each others atrocities.

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