A former Kamloops RCMP jail guard compared the atmosphere in the detachment to that of a hockey team’s locker room while describing a number of police officers and municipal employees watching via closed circuit video two drunk female prisoners engage in sexual acts four years ago.
David Tompkins took the stand on Monday, Sept. 22, in RCMP Cpl. Rick Brown’s trial on one count of breach of trust by a public officer.
“It’s kind of akin to guys having a hockey game and they just won the hockey game,” Tompkins said.
“They’re boisterous.”
Brown was charged following an incident in the cellblock of the Kamloops RCMP’s Battle Street detachment in the early-morning hours of Aug. 18, 2010.
Brown, who was watch commander at the time and the de facto head of the detachment, was among a group of six RCMP officers and jail guards, as well as a municipally employed clerk, who watched via closed-circuit video as two intoxicated prisoners engaged in explicit sex acts in a drunk tank.
Four people — Brown and Tompkins, as well as constables Evan Elgee and Stephen Zaharia — were initially charged.
The counts against Elgee and Zaharia were later stayed, but Tompkins pleaded guilty last year and was placed on a year-long probation term.
In court, Tompkins said he and Brown were in a room used by guards to monitor prisoners when they noticed the two women beginning to become intimate.
“I said, ‘Well, I guess we should move them,’” Tomkins said.
“He [Brown] said, ‘Let’s just wait and see what happens.’”
Tompkins said he was uncomfortable with what the women were doing and that he stopped watching the video feed.
However, in a recorded phone call played in court, in which Tompkins calls watch clerk Richard Beveridge, he sounds excited.
“You gotta see this,” Tompkins says on the tape.
“Browny’s down here and he’s going, ‘You gotta see this.’”
Court has earlier heard “Browny” was Brown’s nickname at the detachment.
In court, Tompkins said he was trying to get more people to come to the guard room so that action would be taken to separate the two women.
Tompkins said Beveridge asked Brown if he was going to break up the sex acts, but Brown said there was nowhere to move the women.
“All of the sudden, Elgee showed up, Zaharia, [RCMP Const. Bryce] Fiegehen. I went, ‘What am I supposed to do now?’” Tompkins said.
“If you tell the watch commander what’s going on, we’ve been told in the past, then it’s no longer your problem.
“It’s up to the watch commander to decide if he wants to do anything at all. I can say everybody saw and knew what was going on in there.”
Brown has been on paid administrative leave since August 2010.
Tompkins remains employed by the City of Kamloops, though not as a jail guard. He works in the parks department.
The Crown closed its case yesterday and defence lawyer Glen Orris said he won’t be calling any evidence.
Closing arguments are expected to take place on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
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