Google Photos’ automatic back up feature proves Canadian man’s innocence

Google Photos has seen a lot of success, and has gone through some rather large mistakes, but most recently its helped a man Toronto man prove his innocence after being assaulted by local police.

Abdi Sheik-Qasim was arrested by Toronto Police for, according to the department, assaulting an officer during an exchange between law enforcement and Qasim at his uncle’s house on January 4, 2014. The constables established that Qasim was not wanted for any warrants, but insisted on entering the apartment anyway. Qasim pulled out his cell phone to record the encounter, but was only able to get 10 seconds of video before Constable Dhaliwal knocked the device out of Qasim’s hands.

Qasim, as you would suspect, was arrested for the exchange, reportedly having assaulted an officer. Qasim lost his smartphone during the whole ordeal, but upon his return home, he found that Google Photos backed up the 10 second video, proving his innocence.

At Qasim’s court hearing, both constables said the man engaged them by trying to reach for one of their utility belts, but that didn’t seem to be the case after watching the video. Ontario Court Justice Edward Kelly cleared Sheik-Qasim of all charges during the exchange, saying:

“Officer Dhaliwal’s swing of his arm and hand was the very first physical force during the interaction. The accused didn’t grab a hold of the belt of Officer Gul in advance of this action by Officer Dhaliwal. I believe that Officer Dhaliwal’s action amounted to an assault against the accused.”

Albeit a unique situation, it’s interesting to see how technology could save you from a lot of heartache. Do you backup your photos and videos? You never know when they could get you out of hot water!

source: Toronto Star
via: Android Authority

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