Closing submissions underway in penalty hearing of Guelph police officer

Closing submissions are being heard in the penalty hearing of Guelph Police Service Const. Corey McArthur.

McArthur, 48, has pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct related to a 2016 incident in which he used his elbow to strike a teenager who was handcuffed to a gurney at Guelph General Hospital.

Video shows the 17-year-old had been acting erratically after using crystal meth and had threatened to harm himself. The teen kneed McArthur in his chest or stomach, leading to the strike from McArthur.

McArthur pleaded guilty to assault in court in 2018.

The Guelph Police Service has been trying to have McArthur dismissed since the incident.

However, during the hearing on Tuesday, nearly 10 years after the incident, McArthur’s lawyer Madeleine Ross said that he should be allowed to return to policing.

“The defence submits that when the full record is submitted, dismissal is disproportionate,” Ross said.

• TIMELINE: Corey McArthur’s troubled past with the Guelph Police Service

McArthur has argued his actions were the result of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that was undiagnosed and untreated at the time.

His lawyers argued his PTSD developed over years of policing and was significantly impacted by the 2013 death of his colleague, Const. Jennifer Kovach, who died after her cruiser collided with a Guelph Transit bus while responding to a call for assistance he had made.

Ross said McArthur has gone through treatment and recovery since 2016.

“The whole trajectory is one of acceptance, sustained treatment, remorse and rehabilitation,” she said.

She said the case is not about excusing what happened in the hospital almost a decade ago, but rather, about deciding what the right response is now in 2026.

“Constable McArthur is of further value to the police service and the community in general,” Ross claimed.

Testimony so far and a previous penalty hearing

This is McArthur’s second penalty hearing. His first resulted in an order that he resign from the police service within seven days or be fired.

He appealed the decision, which was later overturned. Among the reasons cited, was a finding that the original hearing officer did not give enough consideration to McArthur’s PTSD in his written decision.

The second hearing began in July 2024 and has been delayed several times.

Testimony has included character witnesses, including a Guelph Police detective-constable who worked with McArthur in the 2000s, as well as forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Rootenberg, who has assessed McArthur over several years and supports his return to policing.

The police service called its own forensic psychiatrist to take the stand; he reviewed McArthur’s records but was not permitted to assess him personally. Dr. Peter Collins testified McArthur’s conduct could not be attributed to PTSD.

Ross encouraged the hearing officer to reject what was said by Collins and called some of his conclusions speculative.

McArthur has been suspended with pay throughout the proceedings. According to the Ontario Sunshine list, he received a salary of $131,944.07 in 2025.