A B.C. cop accused of beating up a newspaper delivery driver while off duty last year has pleaded not guilty in provincial court.
New Westminster Const. Jeffrey Klassen is charged with assault and possession of stolen property related to an attack on Surrey resident Firoz Khan on Jan. 20, 2009.
Khan was assaulted late at night while he was delivering newspapers in downtown Vancouver. Klassen was out drinking with two other off-duty officers at a club on Granville Street shortly before the time of the attack.
West Vancouver Const. Griffin Gillan, who had consumed more than 20 drinks that night and said he couldn't remember the beating, pled guilty to the assault and received a 21-day conditional sentence. Gillan's behaviour will be the subject of a public hearing conducted by the B.C. Police Complaint Commissioner scheduled to begin in January.
A third officer from the Delta Police Department was not charged and is expected to testify as a witness during Klassen's trial.
