Sex assault, child pornography charges against Hamilton medic ‘very concerning’ to city
The City of Hamilton is staying tight-lipped about the numerous charges facing paramedic Todd Boylan.
The criminal charges laid against Mr. Boylan are very concerning to the city," spokesperson Antonella Giancarlo said in an emailed statement.
As they are a matter before the courts, we will not comment."
Boylan is a 48-year-old Simcoe resident who works as an advanced care paramedic in Hamilton. He is charged with sexual assault and sexual interference, among a raft of child pornography, voyeurism and theft charges.
Giancarlo declined to say whether the city or the paramedic service has launched its own investigation into Boylan's conduct.
At this time, the city is not aware of any allegations or concerns regarding on-duty conduct or other work-related issues," she said.
I can confirm the involved paramedic will remain out of the workplace pending further investigation."
Giancarlo directed further inquiries to Norfolk County OPP, who arrested Boylan on May 27, charging him with making and possessing child pornography, as well as nine counts of theft under $5,000.
He was arrested again on June 18, at which time 13 charges were added, including two counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference, four counts of voyeurism, three counts of possessing child pornography, and two counts of making or publishing child pornography.
Boylan is represented by Hamilton lawyer Dean Paquette.
The anticipation is that he will plead not guilty and be defended as effectively as I can," Paquette said.
Boylan made a court appearance in Simcoe on Friday in light of the new charges, and was released on bail. A publication ban prevents details of Boylan's bail hearings from being reported.
The next step for the defence, Paquette added, is to review evidence from the Crown.
Disclosure needs to be provided, and the implications of that disclosure assessed," he said.
Court documents reveal more details about the allegations.
Between May 2019 and September 2020, police allege Boylan did surreptitiously make or observe a visual recording of a person under the age of 16 years old for a sexual purpose."
The sexual assault and interference charges date to between early 1998 and late 2001, when police allege Boylan touched a child under 14 for a sexual purpose," and committed sexual assault against the same victim.
Publication bans that are standard in sex crime cases prevent the reporting of any potentially identifying information about the alleged victims.
According to court documents, Boylan is accused of stealing underwear from the men's change room at the Simcoe Recreation Centre on multiple occasions between 2016 and 2019.
The documents indicate nine different people using the change room were victims of the alleged thefts.
Boylan is a five-year member of the OPP Auxiliary, a volunteer police force whose duties include assisting officers on calls, directing traffic, and managing crowds at public events.
He was suspended from the auxiliary force after his initial arrest.
Acting Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said the investigation into Boylan is ongoing, and investigators believe there could be more victims. Sanchuk asked anyone with information about this case to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
Boylan returns to court July 20.
J.P. Antonacci's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.