Hamilton police Const. Brian Wren is facing a demotion in rank for one year following a decision made at the Police Services Act hearing.

Hearing Officer Superintendent Greg Walton from the OPP says Wren will go from first-class constable to second-class constable for a term of one year, effective immediately.

The decision comes after the Hamilton officer was charged with assault in connection with the violent arrest of Patrick Tomchuk, an Indigenous man, in spring 2022.

READ MORE: Hamilton cop receives suspended sentence, probation for assault of Indigenous man

The arrest occurred on May 26, 2022 when police were investigating a stolen vehicle at a gas station on Upper Sherman Avenue.

Tomchuk can be seen in witness video unresponsive as an officer in plain clothes stomped on his head.

Wren was then suspended and charged with assault to which he pled guilty to in February 2023.

In an impact statement made earlier in court, the National Vice-Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples called the incident a “reminder of how little reconciliation has changed”.

READ MORE: Hamilton police officer who violently arrested an Indigenous man hears impact statements

Walton says he is satisfied that Wren has the ability to continue to serve his community and his employer in the same manner.

“I do not agree with the prosecution’s assertion that Constable Wren has nullified his usefulness to the Hamilton Police Service; he has enjoyed an exemplary career up until
this incident,” Walton says in his decision.

“I find the argument that he is a strong candidate for rehabilitation compelling, however, I do not accept that a loss of hours is appropriate; the sanction imposed must reflect the seriousness of this misconduct.”

At the conclusion of the one-year demotion, Wren will return to the rank of first-class constable.