Calgary man sentenced for his role in the death of Sgt. Andrew Harnett
Sgt. Andrew Harnett is shown in a handout photo from the Calgary Police Service. (CPS handout)
The man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a Calgary police officer who grew up in Hagersville, Ont., was sentenced Friday to five years in prison.
Sgt. Andrew Harnett also began his policing career in Hagersville.
On Dec. 31, 2020, Harnett stopped an SUV in the community of Falconridge after noticing its licence plate didn't match the registration. The vehicle took off, dragging the officer 437 metres before he fell off and was left in the path of an oncoming car.
Two other officers tried to revive Harnett but the 37-year-old died an hour later.
Amir Abdulrahman, who was 19-years-old at the time, was a passenger in the SUV. He was originally charged with first-degree murder but in December he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Justice Robert Hall sentenced Abdulrahman to five years in prison, stating that he took one year off because of the guilty plea.
After time served, Abdulrahman will spend another three years and five months behind bars.
Hall said that while Abdulrahman wasn't driving the SUV he "still provided assistance to the driver, knowing that they were traveling down a major roadway with oncoming traffic, while a police officer was holding on to the vehicle. The body camera footage shows that he also would have known that the driver was engaged in an ongoing attempt to dislodge the officer from the vehicle."
MORE: Calgary man sentenced to 5 years for manslaughter in traffic stop death of Sgt. Andrew Harnett
The driver of the SUV was 17-years-old at the time and cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. His trial is set to start on Jan. 31.
REMEMBERING SGT. ANDREW HARNETT
The family of Sgt. Andrew Harnett spoke to CTV News just days after his death in 2021.
"He was born to be a police officer and he knew it," said his brother Jason Harnett. "He just had a passion to serve. There was right and wrong, and he really believed in that."
Jason also recounted how, as a student at Hagersville Secondary School, Harnett also volunteered at Crime Stoppers.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique shared his condolences in the days after Harnett's death, stating: "As I understand it, Andrew was one of the most active Crime Stoppers volunteers we've ever seen in this province."
Harnett's passion for policing also extended to his job at a Canadian Tire where he always kept an eye out for shoplifters.
"He was very proud of not wanting to let anyone just walk out of that store with anything," said Jason.
He added that Harnett's desire to do good continued as he pursued his career.
"Every day he went to Calgary Police trying to make a difference."
Harnett was the youngest of three brothers.
Harnett's widow was pregnant at the time of his death.
In a victim statement to the court she said: "My son's innocence was taken before he was born."
-- With reporting by CTV News Calgary
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