DRUG-DEALING EX-COP MUST SERVE JAIL TIME

Ryan's Appeal Bid Rejected

Danny Ryan, a respected RCMP officer who lost his career for pushing
drugs, will not get to witness the birth of his second child in December.

Instead, the former RCMP constable will be serving a four-year prison
sentence.

Mr. Ryan, 33, and his wife Shannon have a six-year-old son and a
second child on the way.

"It's devastating to his family, there's no question about that," Mr.
Ryan's lawyer, Mike Taylor, told reporters Monday after the Nova
Scotia Court of Appeal dismissed Mr. Ryan's bid to have his conviction
stayed.

Mr. Ryan, a former member of the Tantallon RCMP street team, was
convicted in June of trafficking marijuana and of breach of trust for
stealing and selling drugs that police had seized. He supplied drugs
to an RCMP informant and demanded a cut of the proceeds from their
sale.

On Monday, Mr. Taylor asked the Appeal Court to overturn Nova Scotia
Supreme Court's refusal in April to stay the charges.

At that time, Justice Walter Goodfellow concluded that Mr. Ryan's
right to be tried within a reasonable time under the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms had not been violated.

Justice Goodfellow ruled that Mr. Ryan had ample opportunity to voice
his concerns about unreasonable delay during the many court
appearances he and his lawyer made after he was charged in January
2002.

"In my opinion, it's not the role of defence counsel to do that," Mr.
Taylor told reporters. "As I said, it's not required that you jump up
and say, 'That's not good enough for us, we want an earlier time.'
"

But on Monday, the Appeal Court upheld the Supreme Court
ruling.

"After carefully considering the record and the submissions, we see no
reviewable error in Justice Goodfellow's disposition," Appeal Court
Justice Jamie Saunders said, with Justices Gerald Freeman and Joel
Fichaud concurring.

"Accordingly, we are unanimously of the view that this appeal ought to
be dismissed."

On Sept. 3, just four days after Mr. Ryan was sentenced, he was
released on bail pending his appeal.

Since that time, he "has been on pins and needles, basically," Mr.
Taylor said outside court.

"His life has been on hold until he found out about the decision
today, not surprisingly.

"He really couldn't move or start anything new because this was over
his head."

Before sentencing, Mr. Ryan was working as a service manager for a
Quebec franchise. He had no comment Monday as two sheriff's deputies
led him through the courthouse lobby in handcuffs.

He showed no reaction in court to the ruling.