Suspended Toronto Police Constable Timothy Barnhardt has lost his second bid for bail, as a Superior Court justice ruled he still poses a risk and failed to meet the onus for release.
Bail Review Denied
In a decision that took more than an hour to deliver, Superior Court Justice Peter Bawden found that Barnhardt, a 20-year veteran of the force, had not satisfied the conditions required for release on this second attempt. The reasons for the decision are covered by a standard publication ban.
Barnhardt, 57, appeared resigned as he looked back at a supporter in the downtown courtroom. Dressed in black, with his greying long hair pulled back in a skinny ponytail, he was led away in handcuffs once again to await his trial.
Project South Investigation
Barnhardt was arrested in February as part of Project South, an organized crime and corruption investigation led by York Regional Police. He was the only one of eight current and former Toronto Police officers denied bail by a justice of the peace.
According to police, Barnhardt is considered the "genesis" of the Project South investigation. He allegedly accessed personal information on a police computer about a manager at the Toronto South Detention Centre and passed it on to Brian Da Costa, who police allege is a "key figure in a criminal network within the Greater Toronto Area with significant international ties." The corrections supervisor later became the target of a foiled murder attempt last June.
Barnhardt faces the longest list of charges among those arrested — 17 disturbing offences that include:
- Drug trafficking of cocaine, oxycodone, Xanax, Adderall, and MDMA
- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- Breach of trust
- Conspiring to commit a bribe
- Unlawfully accessing the police computer system
The case continues to unfold as Barnhardt remains in custody pending trial.
