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An Ottawa police officer who was charged with two counts of discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act for his criminal behaviour was docked 16 hours’ pay and demoted at his sentencing hearing Thursday.

Const. Ahmad Bayaa was found sitting in his car with the smell of alcohol on his breath while stopped at a green light in November 2013. The officer had just missed colliding with a car driven by two off-duty firefighters. Bayaa, who was also off-duty at the time, had been spotted by a witness around 5 a.m., blowing through a T-intersection in Barrhaven before his car left the road, landed in a ditch and hit a wooden fence. Bayaa continued over the broken fence and then drove through a park.

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An hour later, the firefighters saw Bayaa’s damaged vehicle driving erratically in Kanata, where it crossed the centre line and almost hit them. The firefighters followed him and called police. An officer from Bayaa’s own force responded and identified him as the driver. Bayaa’s licence was suspended for 90 days and his vehicle was impounded after his arrest.