A court found that a Toronto police officer who stole while on duty was also in breach of his bail conditions

Boris Borissov, a Toronto police officer currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for forging documents, misusing police resources and robbing the dead while on duty, was sentenced to an additional 11 months in custody after pleading guilty Friday to violating his bail conditions in August.

In May, an Ontario court found Borissov guilty of all 15 charges against him for crimes he committed during separate police investigations in 2020 and 2022. Among those crimes, Borissov stole a luxury watch, credit cards and other items from people who died in the line of duty.

On August 24, before the verdict was announced, Borissov tried to flee the country with a one-way ticket to Rome and a false Bulgarian passport, but, according to an agreed statement of facts read in court, he was arrested at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport.

Borissov, 50, pleaded guilty to violating his parole conditions on Friday, and Judge Cathy Mocka sentenced him to an additional 11 months in prison. That’s on top of the seven he already serves. Mocka also had his 11-month sentence deducted for the time spent in pre-trial detention.

“This is a very serious crime,” Mocka told the court. “It certainly needs to be made clear that these types of crimes, where people are subject to court orders and make planned attempts to thwart that order, will be taken seriously.”

“This is not a crime of negligence,” Crown argues

This decision was consistent with the Crown’s argument that as a police officer, Borisov was expected to obey and uphold the law and therefore should be severely sentenced. The Crown sought a 12-month prison sentence.

“While he did not take advantage of his position as a police officer, the fact is that he is always a police officer, even when off duty,” Crown prosecutor Jason Nicol told the court.

“It was not a crime of negligence,” he said.

Borissov’s defense attorney told the court that Borissov’s escape attempt was a plan doomed to failure, but after treatment for alcohol addiction, he relapsed and wanted to go to Bulgaria to visit his sick mother in hospital.

Judge Mocka said she took this into account in her decision, along with his guilty plea, but also took into account the time and effort Borissov put into his plan, as well as his persistent lying to Canada Border Services Agency officers. (CBSA) after they questioned him about the fake passport and found another ID in his bags.

“It was a planned attempt to escape and leave the country,” Mocka said, adding that the health condition of Borisov’s mother was only an “additional motivating factor” to attempt to escape.