Intends to plead not guilty: lawyer

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Ward 2 (Etobicoke North) Councillor Rob Ford was arrested and charged Wednesday morning with assault and uttering a death threat, police say.

But Ford’s lawyer Dennis Morris told Toronto Community News that Ford will be pleading not guilty on both counts, and revealed that the allegations were made by Ford’s wife, and the incidents were alleged to have occurred in Ford’s family home Wednesday morning.

“Our position is that we’re pleading not guilty to both charges - the offences are spurious and the offences never did occur,” said Morris in a telephone interview.

According to Toronto Police, the councillor was arrested and processed in 22 Division at about 9:30 a.m. this morning. But police would release no other details about the allegations against Ford - including where the alleged assault and threat took place - because doing so might reveal the identity of the victim.

But police say he was released on his own recognizance, on a promise to appear at a future court date.

Morris said that a condition of Ford’s release was that he not to return to the family home and have no contact with his spouse. But he said Ford and his wife’s two children remain in Rob Ford’s custody.

The news went through city hall late Wednesday. Ward 30 (Toronto Danforth) Councillor Paula Fletcher, who has frequently engaged in sharp debates with the often voluble Ford, said she was shocked.

“Well it’s very disturbing news when a member of city council would be arrested and charged with an extremely serious crime - especially one that involves physical violence and uttering death threats," she said. "It’s a very disturbing thing. It’s early days for determining the circumstances, but I’m quite shocked and disturbed.”

According to city spokesperson Brad Ross, the fact that Ford has been charged has no bearing on his ability to continue to carry out his duties as a city councillor.

“In our justice system everybody is innocent until proven guilty,” said Ross. “I think that’s an important message in all of this. With respect to a councillor remaining a councillor when facing criminal charges, there is nothing to prevent a councillor from continuing to do their duties when they’ve been charged. The only thing that prevents a city councillor from sitting is when they’ve been incarcerated. That means they can’t do their job. And clearly we’re not even close to being there yet.”