A Toronto police constable found guilty last year of punching a motorist and squeezing his testicles twice has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Const. Salameh Marji also faces one year of probation.

A grim-faced Marji, 35, stared at the ground on Wednesday as he was led away in handcuffs while about 20 officers, friends and relatives who had jammed the small courtroom stood in stunned silence. A woman broke down in tears outside the Finch Ave. W. courtroom. Marji is engaged to be married soon.

In passing sentence, Justice Lucia Favret admonished the officer because “he abused his position of authority,” while weighing the fact that Marji has a great reputation as an officer and as a community volunteer.

In 2009, Marji was named police officer of the month.

However, the judge also took into account the driver’s victim-impact statement read at trial in which he stated: “I am very afraid of the police.”

The victim’s name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

The Crown sought a six-month jail term while the defence asked for a conditional discharge with no jail time but a period of probation.

Defence lawyer David Butt told the judge last week that even one day of jail would likely mean that a promising officer’s career would be cut short with dismissal.

Favret stopped short, however, of imposing a firearms restriction, opening the possibility that Marji retain his police job once he goes before a disciplinary board hearing.

As a sexual offender, Marji must comply with a mandatory DNA order and provide a sample.

Last year, Marji was found guilty of assault and sexual assault for his actions in executing an unlawful search on Sept 2, 2009.

The defence suggested the assaults occurred “in the heat of the moment” during a search around 1 a.m. in a high-crime area.

The judge discounted that, saying Marji “wanted to impress his sergeant.”

Court had heard that Marji was a high performer on TAVIS (Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy), which has a rapid-response team dedicated to rooting out drugs and guns in high-risk areas.

After his arrest, Marji was suspended for a few hours and then put on administrative duties. Since March 2011, he has worked behind a desk at 52 Division’s Criminal Investigations Bureau.

Evidence presented in court showed Marji punched the driver in the face and slammed his head on a police cruiser. He also grabbed the driver twice by the testicles and squeezed so hard as to elicit screams of pain.

Marji is 5-foot-11 and weighs about 240 pounds.

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The officer denied the assaults or that he grabbed the motorist’s testicles but did not deny that the search was aggressive.

Police suspected the victim of being involved in drug activity because he was carrying two cellphones when he was pulled over on Lawrence Ave. E., just west of Jane St., an area known for violent gang activity.

It was later learned that the victim, a 21-year-old university student, was a cellphone sales representative.