A Calgary police officer who handcuffed a black woman to the body should go to jail, Crown argues
A Calgary police officer who beat a young, handcuffed black woman to the ground should go to jail, a prosecutor argued, as the Crown sought to increase the officer’s sentence.
Alex Dunn was found guilty of assault in 2020 for violently taking down Dalia Kafi in 2017.
In June 2021, Dunn was sentenced to 30 days in prison: 15 days under house arrest, 15 days under curfew.
In handing out the month-long sentence, the trial judge found that Dunn’s actions were not premeditated and said she did not see the need to isolate him from society, calling the attack “a egregious mistake.”
Prosecutor Michael Dunn called the month-long home sentence “provenly unfit”.
Dunn has asked Court of Justice Judge Nancy Dilts to increase the sentence to nine months in prison.
Michael Dunn – who is not related to the perpetrator – said Kafi’s minority status should have been taken into account by the provincial court sentencing judge, who did not examine how race affects the seriousness of the offence.
“I am not claiming that the attack was racially motivated,” the prosecutor said. “[But] Courts must take into account the status of the victim to properly assess the seriousness of the crime.”
Defense attorney Alain Hepner argued that the trial judge’s ruling was proportionate and should stand.
“[The judge] found no need to isolate the defendant from society,” Hepner said.
“The judge considered all aspects that she should have considered when arriving at this verdict.”
In December 2017 const. Dunn arrested Kafi, then 26, for violating her court-imposed curfew.
The officer took Kafi to the Arrest Processing Unit (APU) where he tried to remove a scarf from her head to take a picture.
After she ducked in front of him, the policeman threw Kafi, who was handcuffed, to the ground.
The victim’s head ricochets off the ground, quickly creating a pool of blood, and she briefly appeared unconscious.
During the trial, the Krone said Kafi suffered a broken nose that required surgery and a split lip that required stitches.
In 2016, Dunn pleaded guilty to two counts of disobedience for violating CPS policies related to accessing a civilian’s information for personal reasons and keeping his service weapon at home. He was paid for four days.
He was also the subject of an internal police investigation after CBC News published a photo of the black-faced officer at a 2012 Halloween party.
