Cops accused of assaulting lawyer at courthouse; advocates call for independent probe

A national legal organization is calling for an independent investigation after a lawyer alleged police officers slammed her head into a desk, dragged her out of a room in handcuffs and hauled her to the basement cells at a courthouse in Oshawa, Ont., last week.

The Criminal Lawyers’ Association says the allegations against Durham Regional Police Service officers raise “serious human rights concerns,” and it would be inappropriate for the force to investigate its own officers.

Durham police have said they are investigating an incident that took place at the Superior Court of Justice in Oshawa shortly after 5 p.m. last Friday and that the allegations are being taken “with the utmost seriousness.”

In a statement issued by her counsel, defence lawyer Sudine Riley says uniformed officers “challenged her presence” in an interview room where she was catching up on legal work after finishing a trial.

Neha Chugh says her client, a petite Black woman who wears a headscarf, was spoken to with “rage, disrespect and contempt” by officers who slammed her head on the desk and put their knees in her back and neck, leaving her bleeding and swollen.

She says Riley was dragged out of the room, handcuffed and taken to the cells, during which her head scarf was ripped off and her skirt raised.

“She committed no offence other than being a Black woman practising law, being diligent about her commitment to the pursuit of justice,” Chugh said in the statement issued earlier this week.

“She was handled violently and aggressively by members of police services. She is taking time to rest and heal while she considers her next legal steps.”

Durham regional police are working with court services to obtain and review all available evidence related to the incident, a spokesperson said in a statement.

“DRPS has assigned the appropriate investigative and oversight resources to fully understand the circumstances and determine what further actions may be required,” the statement said.

The force said no additional information is available as the investigation continues.

The Criminal Lawyers’ Association said it has been providing Riley with support and is committed to ensuring she receives justice.

“All lawyers must be able to work in safety and security within Ontario’s courthouses,” the organization said in a statement.

“We recognize that racialized members of the bar have been disproportionately affected by these events, and we urge all stakeholders to take clear and meaningful action to protect our diverse bar and to address these deeply concerning allegations.”

Anita Szigeti, a Toronto lawyer and founder of the volunteer lawyer association Women in Canadian Criminal Defence, said she has never before seen such allegations in more than 33 years practising law in Ontario.

“This incident has cast a deep and very dark shadow over the lives of women in criminal defence,” she wrote on the legal news website Law360.

“This may very well be the final straw for many of what’s left of the women in our bar. For those who are Black or racialized, younger women in defence. Those who now legitimately and reasonably, ever so justifiably fear for their safety when they go to work every day.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2026.

Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press