Former B.C. Corrections Officer Sentenced for Breach of Trust

A former British Columbia corrections officer, Ramandeep Rai, has been sentenced to two years of conditional imprisonment for a breach of trust. The sentence will be served within the community. Rai's offense involved failing to report that an inmate, with whom she was engaged in a romantic relationship, possessed a cellphone.

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Anytime you’re in a position of trust, you have to respect and honour that right and this is a case where you know my client agreed that she made a mistake, she’s not denying her role and she is going to pay the consequences for the next two years with this house arrest community jail sentence and a criminal record.

During the relationship at the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, Rai and the inmate communicated via the prison phone system and the inmate's cellphone. The court heard that Rai advised the inmate on how to conceal the device from inspections, though it remains unclear how the inmate initially obtained the phone. The inmate also reportedly used the phone for drug trafficking, but the court recognized that Rai was unaware of this activity and that she did not gain financially from the situation.

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I accept Miss Rai deeply and profoundly regrets her actions.

In delivering the sentence, the judge acknowledged Rai's profound regret and her sincere admission that the infraction was not minor. Rai recognized that her actions put colleagues at risk and undermined public trust in the corrections service. She offered multiple apologies and accepted responsibility for her mistake by pleading guilty, thus sparing the court a trial. The judge stated that Rai has likely lived with guilt and shame for some time and that this lapse in judgment does not define her character. Rai's sentence includes conditions such as a curfew, community service, and ongoing counseling.

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In addressing the court, she sincerely acknowledged this was not a minor infraction, that she put her colleagues at risk… That she undermined the public trust and the important work of corrections officers.