Stéfanie Trudeau is facing a reduced charge and an expedited trial after being accused of using excessive force during an arrest in 2012.

This morning, the prosecution agreed to try Trudeau by summary trial rather than as an indictable offence, which in turn reduces the severity of the charge.

It also means that Trudeau’s trial will be sped up. In addition, she no longer faces up to five years in prison, but six months in jail.

Stéfanie Trudeau is accused of using excessive force in making an arrest. (CBC)

Normally, a police officer who is found guilty of a criminal act is automatically stripped of their badge. However, in the case of a summary conviction, it’s up to her employer — the Montreal police service — to determine whether she gets to keep her job.

Trudeau was nicknamed Officer 728 because she only identified herself by her badge number during the student protests.

She had made headlines during the student protests of 2012 after she was caught on video pepper-spraying demonstrators.

The assault charge she is facing is for accusations of using excessive force during an arrest in 2012.

It began with a man holding a beer on the sidewalk while opening the door open for a friend.

A video of the altercation in question was posted to YouTube. In the video she is seen putting a man in a headlock and forcefully pulling him down a set of stairs.

Trudeau was charged in March 2014.