Saskatchewan court orders RCMP killer’s father to pay $10K for defaming Mountie

SASKATOON – The father of a convicted Mountie killer has been ordered to pay $10,000 to an RCMP officer for defaming him.

A Saskatoon judge has also barred Arthur Dagenais (DAH’-zhuh-nay) from making any more complaints against the officer.

Dagenais had accused Const. Kenneth Palen of trying to kill him with a Taser during a vehicle inspection in October 2007.

Palen filed a lawsuit after Dagenais made the accusations on four separate occasions to RCMP detachments as well as to the Commission for Public Complaints.

Dagenais’s son, Curtis, is serving life in prison for killing two RCMP officers during a pursuit near Spiritwood, Sask., in 2006.

Palen testified at the murder trial as an evidence expert.

Queen’s Bench Justice Neil Gabrielson said in his ruling that he agreed with Palen’s statement of claim that said Arthur Dagenais’s allegations were untrue.

“I have … reviewed the video of the inspection and I am satisfied that nothing is shown which indicates that a Tasering took place,” Gabrielson said.

The judge said it was clear that Dagenais fell down, but it looked more like he had tripped “rather than any action on the part of Palen who was not even close to Dagenais at the time.”

Palen had been seeking $300,000 in damages, but Gabrielson said there was no evidence to support that Dagenais’s allegations did extensive damage to the Mountie’s reputation.

(CKBI)

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