Ex-Mountie convicted of lying under oath in connection with a colleague's legal proceedings.

 

A judge in St. John's has stated that a former law enforcement officer provided false information to safeguard himself and a colleague during his testimony at a trial for another officer over two years ago.

On Friday, Judge Mike Madden deemed Paul Durdle, aged 42, guilty of making false statements under oath during proceedings held at the provincial courthouse in St. John's. At the beginning of Durdle's trial, a separate accusation of hindering justice was dismissed.

The allegations, initiated by the Serious Incident Response Team of the province in 2024, were based on the ex-officer's statements given in defense during the trial of Constable Michael Wheeler the previous year.

Wheeler was subsequently found guilty of the irresponsible handling of a firearm and of aiming a gun at another individual. He had aimed his firearm at the head of Durdle’s then-girlfriend while off-duty at a social function attended by Durdle.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that in 2018, Wheeler and Durdle's then-girlfriend were engaged in playful wrestling and consuming alcohol at Durdle's residence on Bell Island when Wheeler brandished a gun at the woman, stating, "Not so tough now, are you?"

Wheeler was wearing his uniform and had just completed his shift that evening.

When providing his testimony at Wheeler's trial, Durdle claimed that the event did not occur.

The Crown argued that Durdle intentionally misrepresented the truth on five separate occasions during his statements, aiming to assist his associate and to influence his own internal conduct review.

At that moment, the RCMP had put Durdle on suspension due to his failure to inform the authorities about the incident that occurred at his residence.

Madden ultimately established guilt in three out of the five allegations, which included Durdle's assertion that he did not observe the service weapon in his residence, the justification for his conduct issues with the RCMP, and his claim of not witnessing Durdle's former partner and Wheeler engaged in a struggle.

Durdle asserted that he did not observe Wheeler's duty belt, which contains the officer's firearm, at his place. This stands in contrast to Wheeler's own testimony confirming its presence.

"I do not accept that Durdle didn't see the gun in his home," Madden commented.

"I determine that he was being untruthful to shield Mr. Wheeler and consequently himself."