The allegations in the civil case of the former Falkland RCMP officer are under internal investigation

Former Falkland RCMP officer Milan Ilic, who was stationed in Kamloops, BC on Monday, said the civil case he filed against the federal and provincial governments nearly six years ago had finally gone to trial.

The 34-year-old Ilik, who was medically discharged from the force in 2019, alleges that the RCMP mishandled an internal investigation into the allegations against him which resulted in serious damage to Ilik’s mental health.

In 2011, Illic was the first to find 18-year-old Ter Van Van Diest beaten to death and strangled near a railway in Armstrong, BC.

The teenager would later die from her injuries and as a result of the homicide trial, there was an allegation that Ilik threw a bottle of liquor from her pocket at the scene.

Elik said at first, and repeated at the stand on Monday that he had nothing to do with a bottle of wine found in the area and that what he had thrown away that night was a box of pens.

Elik describes throwing pens so he can use his jacket to cover the injured teenager and try to keep her warm.

However, in March 2014, after he testified at the murder trial, Ilik was questioned by two senior officers about a bottle of liquor that had set him on fire.

“I told them the truth and they came after my honesty,” Ilic said.

Elic testified that he wondered at the time if he was blaming the police for not conducting further tests on the bottle during the murder investigation.

Ilk’s lawyer also questioned the manner in which he interviewed senior officials.

It is alleged that the ambassador provided the information to Alik.

In court documents, defendants say Elik was not under investigation at the time so no caution was needed and he never asked to speak to a staff representative.

In the end, Elik’s denial of the liquor bottle led to allegations that he lied to the stand and senior officers, and a police code of conduct investigation was launched.

Illic argues that the way the whole process was conducted has caused serious damage to his mental health.

“While the RCMP is entitled to conduct a Code of Conduct investigation, such an investigation must be conducted on a purposeful, realistic and reasonable basis. Elk’s lawyer said the RCMP has a responsibility to take care of anyone who investigates, and to investigate a member internally.

“The process endured by the const. Ilik. [was] Violations and violations of the RCMP Administrative Manual and the core values ​​of the RCMP, which led to a serious and anticipated decline in his mental health. “

The provincial and federal governments have acted appropriately to the RCMP members.

The civil trial is expected to last several weeks and will include testimony from Taylor Van Dyste’s mother and other RCMP officers.

Although the lawsuit was originally filed by both the federal and provincial governments, Elick’s lawyer said Monday that they are closing the lawsuit against the federal government because Elick is receiving a Veterans Affairs pension and is therefore barred from pursuing claims against the federal government.