Toronto police officer facing several charges: special victims unit

Peel police say Farhan Ali, a 39-year-old officer of Markham, was arrested and charged with three counts of assault, three counts of sexual assault and four counts of mischief.

Peel police said the charges stem from a special victims unit investigation and confirmed Ali was off duty at the time of the alleged incidents.

Further details about the incidents have not been released.

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As the matter is now before the courts, Peel police say they will not be providing additional updates.

The Toronto Police Service confirmed Ali is currently suspended with pay, as required under Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act.

The charge comes months after Toronto police suspended all internal podcasts following backlash over an episode of the service’s Project Olive Branch podcast last March, which involved an officer by the name of Farhan Ali, as one of the speakers.

The episode drew criticism from members of the Jewish community and prompted Chief Myron Demkiw to order a review of podcast procedures and content.

At the time, Demkiw issued a statement saying there would be an internal review of the matter.

“We acknowledge that a recent episode of our podcast, Project Olive Branch, has caused significant upset and concern in the Jewish community and beyond. That was not our intention and we apologize,” it read.

Global News reached out to Toronto police for a conclusion on the review, but did not receive a response in time for publishing.

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