Video played in court showed the victim in the police detachment completely limp and dragging her feet on the floor.

Family of a woman who died in police custody were in court Friday hoping Justice Renee Pomerance would hand down a jail sentence for a London, Ont., police officer convicted of criminal negligence in the death of Debra Chrisjohn.

The mother of 11 from Oneida of the Thames died hours after being apprehended by police in September 2016.

“I think that he should be doing jailtime because this is a life,” said Cindy Chrisjohn. “This was my sister’s life. He should be doing jail [time], and I believe that he shouldn’t – he shouldn’t even be working as a police officer after his convictions, he’s been found guilty.”

Pomerance also found Const. Nicholas Doering guilty of failing to provide the necessities of life in Debra’s death.

Sentencing was delayed until March 16, however.

Read more:

London police officer found guilty in death of Oneida of the Thames mother

During the trial, court heard Debra was alert and conscious when she entered Doering’s police cruiser, but her condition deteriorated rapidly in the following 45 minutes, going from sitting upright to laying on her side, shaking.

Video played in court showed the victim in the police detachment completely limp and dragging her feet on the floor as she was carried to a cell where she was placed in the recovery position.

She died from cardiac arrest three hours later.

Allana McDougall Allana is a graduate of the Indigenous Studies program at Trent University and the new media journalism program at Sheridan College. She worked at Sudbury.com and TVO before coming to APTN National News where she now covers Indigenous stories in Southern Ontario as a video journalist. McDougall is a member of Hiawatha First Nation.

Report an Error Tell us your Story

Your Name * Your Email Address * Details * Submit Report