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Claim Durham cops violently assaulted lawyer inside Oshawa courthouse sparks calls for independent investigation
Lawyer Sudine Riley, a Black woman who wears a headscarf, alleges Durham officers slammed her head on a desk inside the courthouse, put their knees on her back and neck, and took her to the cells in handcuffs.
Jan. 28, 2026
By Jacques GallantCourts and Justice Reporter
Legal associations are calling for an independent investigation into the allegations that a defence lawyer was violently assaulted by police and taken to the cells in handcuffs at the Oshawa courthouse last week.
As first reported by the Star, Sudine Riley, a Black woman who wears a headscarf, was finishing up legal work in an interview room after a trial late Friday afternoon when she alleges uniformed Durham officers “challenged her presence” in the room. She alleges they slammed her head on the desk, put their knees on her back and neck, and took her to the cells in handcuffs. She was then charged with trespassing, which she is contesting.
“We recognize that racialized members of the bar have been disproportionately affected by these events, and we urge all stakeholders to take clear and meaningful action to protect our diverse bar and to address these deeply concerning allegations,” the Criminal Lawyers’ Association said in a statement Tuesday.
“Regrettably, having one’s presence in a courthouse questioned is an experience that is all too familiar for female and racialized lawyers, and particularly for racialized women.”
In a statement earlier this week, Riley’s lawyer, Neha Chugh, said the only offence her client committed was “being a Black woman practising law, being diligent about her commitment to the pursuit of justice.”
Durham police said Monday it was investigating the incident and treating the allegations “with the utmost seriousness,” but the CLA said it’s “inappropriate” for them to be investigating their own officers in this case.
“The allegations in this matter raise serious human rights concerns, compounded by the setting in which they occurred and the gravity of the alleged police conduct,” the CLA said. “We therefore call on the chief of police to appoint an independent external investigator with demonstrated expertise in human rights and anti-Black racism.”
The CLA referred to a section of Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act which stipulates that a chief of police can request someone who is not a member of a police force to investigate an officer if it’s “necessary to obtain special expertise or to ensure public confidence in the investigation.”
The Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) and Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association are also calling for an independent investigation.
“We demand absolute accountability of all the officers involved, and the implementation of systemic safeguards to ensure such a breach never recurs,” CABL said in a statement. “We further urge judicial and court administration to reaffirm, through action, that anti-Black racism, gendered discrimination, and police-sanctioned violence have no place in our courthouses.”
The Muslim lawyers association said the allegations “raise serious questions about the treatment of racialized women” in the justice system.
The Federation of Ontario Law Associations joined those calls for an investigation in an open letter sent Wednesday to Oshawa’s senior judges as well as the attorney general and solicitor general. If the incident “is revealed to be part of a negative culture,” then it must be “rooted out and replaced with one fitting for the Oshawa court and all courthouses across Ontario,” wrote federation chair Allen Wynperle.
“The attack on a defence counsel is an attack on the rule of law.”
The advocacy group Women in Canadian Criminal Defence also sent a letter on Sunday to the local administrative judge in Oshawa asking she provide assurances that necessary measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the organization’s members working in the courthouse.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General, which is responsible for law enforcement, said they could not comment as the matter remains under police investigation.
Jacques Gallant is a Toronto-based reporter covering courts, justice and legal affairs for the Star. Reach him by email at jgallant@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @JacquesGallant
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