Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (Oct 24/05) - An RCMP constable stationed in Fort Smith has pleaded guilty to common assault of a prisoner being held in police custody.

Const. Scott Patterson entered the plea in Fort Smith Territorial Court on Oct. 20.

Sentencing will take place Nov. 14.

"Until sentence has been passed, it would be totally inappropriate for the RCMP to comment," says Superintendent Rick Roy, officer in charge of criminal operations for the RCMP's 'G' Division. "We will address the matter once the court process is complete."

Patterson has been a member of the RCMP for eight years, all in the NWT.

He has served in Fort Smith since August of 2003.

In February, Fort Smith's Russell Sikyea, 21, complained of being assaulted by a police officer while in a detachment cell.

The incident was recorded by a video camera in the cell.

In an interview earlier this year, Sikyea said while he was in the cell, a constable tried to convince him to plead guilty to a sexual assault charge.

A couple of days later, in the early morning hours of Feb. 5, Sikyea said he knocked on the cell door to ask a guard to bring him a toothbrush, but no one responded. He then put toilet paper over the video camera's lens.

Sikyea said two policemen came to his cell, and the constable who had talked to him about the charge told him to stop messing around or he would be tied up.

Sikyea said he responded by saying he would tell the sergeant that the constable was trying to get him to plead guilty.

Sikyea said the constable then slapped him in the head and choked him.

Following an investigation, a charge of assault was laid against Patterson in June.

In August, Sikyea was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to five years in prison.