Calgary officer turned son in to police after recognizing machete attack suspect, judge told

A Calgary police officer turned in his own son after recognizing photos of the suspect in a machete attack on a CTrain platform, a judge was told today.

Connor Dery, 26, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, breaching a release order and taking a motor vehicle without consent in the 2021 incident.

Prosecutor Shivani Naidu-Barrett asked for a two-year sentence followed by two years probation. Defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli proposed a 19-month sentence — equal to the time Dery has already served —  plus three years probation.

Justice Brian Stevenson will make his ruling on a sentence next month. 

On October 15, 2021, Dery pulled a machete on a man on a CTrain platform in what was described as an "unprovoked" attack.

The victim suffered two injuries, a 15-centimetre cut on his forearm arm to the bone and a five centimetre laceration on his lower back.

Photos of the suspect were released and Dery's father recognized his son. He also confirmed to police that the machete and unique shoes, spotted on CCTV images of the suspect, were missing from Dery's apartment after the attack. 

Dery was granted bail but several months after he was released, he took his mother's car and got in an accident near Cochrane. 

Justice Stevenson heard that Dery suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child and has been placed under a guardianship order. The injury impairs Dery's judgment, Iovinelli argued.

Stevenson was told Dery was the victim of two serious robberies which led to him carrying a machete as well as a PTSD diagnosis.

But when the judge told the lawyers he needed time to consider the sentences proposed, Stevenson expressed concern Dery was carrying a "lethal weapon" with "the very lame excuse that it's for self-protection." 

"If people carry weapons, they must have a reason, a valid reason and the onus must be on them to explain why they're carrying a weapon in public," said Stevenson. 

Dery's mother and aunt were in court for the appearance. Iovinelli told the judge his client's father was on-shift and unable to be in the courtroom for the plea, but also explained that because of his connection to the police service, he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to the situation. 

When asked if he wanted to address the court, Dery gave a tearful statement. He said he's been sober for nearly a year and regrets his actions. He told the judge he "will never be back in this courtroom or any courtroom."