City of Hamilton ordered to pay $20,000 to former undercover cop

The City of Hamilton has been ordered to pay a former undercover police officer $20,000 in court costs after narrowly avoiding being found in contempt. The judge awarded costs to Paul Manning and his spouse, Sabina, in their ongoing $6.75m civil lawsuit against the city and Hamilton Police Services after the Mannings alleged they hadn't been provided with timely disclosure of documents. Paul Manning accused the city of dragging its feet in the case, which was launched nearly four years ago.

Craig Ruthowsky of Hamilton police was found guilty in a pay-for-protection scheme with a crew of Hamilton drug dealers. He pulled 12 years.

In his statement of claim, Manning made shocking accusations of corruption within the police service after alleging a botched undercover operation led to an attempt on his life. Among his claims was that his identity was intentionally revealed to a Hamilton crime family by high-ranking police and that other officers have ties to organized crime and the Hells Angels. Manning's lawsuit has a long list of explosive allegations of police corruption in Hamilton. Hamilton police calls Manning's allegations "scandalous, frivolous or vexatious or are otherwise an abuse of the process of the court." Paul Manning alleges that Inspector Rick Wills was the officer who "sold him out" when Manning's cover was blown. "Wills was worried about Mr. Manning's infiltration turning up aspects of his years of criminal wrongdoing," the suit says. The police board alleges Manning's claims of "injury to reputation" are an attempt to "dress up a defamation claim."

Inspector Rick Wills pleaded guilty in 2010 to one count of fraud over $5,000 and one count of breach of trust. He originally faced 54 criminal charges. He pulled 18 months of house arrest.