VANCOUVER

Cop acquitted of perjury in Dziekanski case settles lawsuit against RCMP

The Canadian Press Published Wednesday, June 5, 2019 3:53PM PDT Last Updated Wednesday, June 5, 2019 5:34PM PDT

Bill Bentley accused of lying in taser death

RCMP Const. Bill Bentley departs after his first day of testimony at the Braidwood inquiry into the Taser-related death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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VANCOUVER - An officer acquitted of a perjury charge linked to the death of a Polish immigrant at Vancouver's airport has settled a lawsuit against the RCMP that alleged negligence and harassment.

Const. Bill Bentley was one of four officers who confronted Robert Dziekanski at the airport in October 2007, when the man was stunned with a Taser and died.

Bentley filed a notice of civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court in June 2016 alleging the RCMP mismanaged information in the case and made Bentley a “scapegoat” for public criticism.

In its response to the civil claim, the RCMP denied that it misled the public or did anything to make Bentley a scapegoat, saying it had no control over how the media reported on the case.

An assistant to Bentley's lawyer said Wednesday the case had been settled and the RCMP also confirmed the settlement and said the terms were confidential.

Bentley was accused of giving false testimony to a public inquiry but was acquitted in 2013, and a bid by prosecutors to overturn the verdict was tossed out in 2015.