Ontario’s police watchdog has charged a provincial police officer with assault causing bodily harm following an interaction that left a 40-year-old man with serious injuries last year.

The Special Investigations Unit says the interaction took place after an Ontario Provincial Police officer found the man urinating outside a bank in Trenton, Ont., and handcuffed him last November.

The SIU says the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

It says the officer is facing one count of assault causing bodily harm.

The officer is set to appear in court on July 25.

The SIU says it will not provide further comment as the case is now before the courts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2024.