Retired EPS detective sentenced for leaking case details

A retired Edmonton police homicide detective has been given a conditional discharge after admitting to leaking confidential information to the media.

Bill Clark, 66, pleaded guilty Monday in Edmonton Court of King's Bench to unauthorized use of a computer. He provided videos, photos, and other details from an internal Edmonton Police Service database to Global News, including a March 2023 video of a Pizza Hut clerk being shot by Roman Shewchuk, who killed two Edmonton police officers four days later.

"I am deeply sorry for what I did," Clark told the court. "I am ashamed at the way my career ended. I've caused pain and embarrassment to my family, to my former colleagues, and to the Edmonton Police Service."

Clark, a 45-year EPS veteran who was suspended in 2024, was initially charged with breach of trust. Crown prosecutor Tom Buglas said the leak shocked Pizza Hut management, who briefly stopped cooperating with police out of concern their security videos would end up on the news.

One of Clark's messages to the reporter stated he was sharing the information because "this stuff needs to be in the public forum."

Justice Shane Parker agreed with the defence request for a conditional discharge over the Crown's request for a one-year suspended sentence. The only condition Clark must follow is to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.

"This is a type of theft," Parker said, noting there was no evidence Clark leaked the information for personal gain. "There doesn't seem to be anything on the facts suggesting that Mr. Clark was gaining from this relationship he had with Global News."

Defence lawyer Mike Danyluik said his client realized the damage he caused by sharing the information, which "casts a permanent cloud" over an otherwise "exemplary" career.