Extortion, harassment case for ex-NHL Barrie cop postponed again

The case against Barrie police officer and former National Hockey League player Bruce Gardiner, scheduled for today (June 26) in scheduling court, continues to be adjourned.

Gardiner faces charges of criminal harassment and extortion. Now 53 years old, he was officially charged on February 4, 2022.

Both the Crown attorney and Gardiner’s defense team agreed to push the virtual appearance to set a date for the trial to begin on July 3 in a Barrie court.

Several adjournments over the past month have delayed the start of the trial. No information was given today as to the reason for the delay.

The judicial documents obtained by Barrie Today, an affiliate of Bradford Today and Innisfil Today, allege that Gardiner was harassed and, “without reasonable justification or excuse and with the intent to obtain compliance,” threatened to release “sensitive photographs” of the plaintiff, contrary to law.

When the charges against Gardiner were announced in February 2022, Barrie police said the alleged events occurred while he was off duty between March 2016 and January 2018 and stemmed from his conduct toward another member of the police department. city ​​police.

In July 2021, Barrie Police Chief Kimberley Greenwood, who has since retired, said she learned of the allegations and ordered an investigation into Gardiner’s conduct. He was immediately suspended from work with pay.

An investigation by the police department’s Professional Standards Unit resulted in the filing of the two criminal charges. No other details about the charges have been released.

There is a ban on publishing information that could identify the alleged victim, as well as any information heard at the preliminary investigation.

None of the charges against Gardiner have been tested in court and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Gardiner played in 312 NHL games, scoring 34 goals and adding 54 assists during stops in Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Columbus and New Jersey from 1996-97 to 2001-02. He was selected in the sixth round (131st overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues.

He also played with the Barrie Colts Junior B team in the late 1980s when they were in the Central Ontario Hockey League before playing college hockey with Colgate University in Hamilton, NY.

Gardiner’s hockey career also included stops in the Russian Super League and Finland. His professional hockey career ended in the 2004–05 season with the Adirondack Frostbite of the United Hockey League.

Gardiner came up through the Barrie Minor Hockey Association and was inducted into the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.