A hearing officer has been selected to oversee the case of the Toronto police officer charged with professional misconduct in connection to serial killer Bruce McArthur, a disciplinary tribunal heard Tuesday.

But no further details were provided about who will perform the role of the de facto judge in the high-profile disciplinary case of Sgt. Paul Gauthier, charged with misconduct in the 2016 arrest and release of McArthur.

At a brief hearing at Toronto police headquarters, Supt. Riyaz Hussein — who is currently overseeing the case — confirmed that a hearing officer has been assigned, but did not say who or provide any further detail.

Gauthier’s lawyer, Lawrence Gridin, has previously requested that the case be overseen by an independent adjudicator instead of a high-ranking officer chosen by the police chief.

The majority of Tuesday’s hearing was conducted behind closed doors, to allow discussion of medical documentation provided by Gauthier. The officer has not yet appeared before the tribunal, citing an unspecified medical issue.

Gauthier is facing two counts of misconduct under Ontario’s Police Services Act connected to the June 2016 arrest of McArthur, who killed eight men with ties to the city’s Gay Village between 2010 and 2017.

McArthur was arrested after a man called 911 to report that McArthur had attempted to strangle him during an otherwise consensual sexual encounter. But McArthur was released after telling police there was a miscommunication and he’d thought the man wanted it rough.

It’s alleged Gauthier failed to videotape the interview with a man who called 911, then failed to have photographs taken within 72 hours of the alleged assault. Both steps are required in the Toronto police domestic-violence procedure.

Gauthier has pleaded not guilty to the charges and claims he did nothing wrong.

At a tribunal appearance earlier this year, Gridin said that his client’s case is “a matter of great public interest.”

“Accordingly, this matter deserves the transparency and accountability that the Toronto Police Service strives for and that can only be achieved by the appointment of a judge,” he said.

The Toronto police tribunal does not typically bring in an independent hearing officer for Police Act charges, but has in a few cases, including for one stemming from the G20 summit in 2010.

Gauthier’s case returns to the tribunal Jan. 13.

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