TORONTO — A man convicted of murdering a Toronto police officer more than four decades ago has been arrested in Victoria, B.C., while out on day parole.Victoria police confirmed that Craig Munro remains in custody and that his parole has been revoked. Authorities released no details on the reason for the arrest or any new charges he may face.Munro was convicted of first-degree murder in 1981 for the March 14, 1980, shooting death of Const. Michael Sweet.On that night, Munro and his brother Jamie entered a restaurant on Queen Street West armed with loaded firearms and demanded cash from patrons. An employee escaped and flagged down a passing police car. Sweet, a 30-year-old father of three young daughters, entered the premises and was shot in the chin and chest..Sweet pleaded for his life for roughly 90 minutes while the Munro brothers held him and others hostage and taunted the dying officer, telling him he would never see his family again. Backup officers eventually stormed the restaurant. Sweet was rushed to hospital but died that night from his wounds.Sgt. Eddie Adamson, who helped in the rescue effort despite orders, later took his own life in 2005.Munro received a life sentence with no parole eligibility for 25 years. He was granted day parole about two years ago and had been living in a community residential facility on Vancouver Island under conditions that included bans on alcohol, drugs, and contact with the Sweet family..The arrest comes as another man convicted of killing a Toronto police officer — Clinton Gayle, who murdered Const. Todd Baylis in 1994 — was denied day parole for a fourth time. The Toronto Police Association noted the Gayle decision came two days after Munro’s parole was revoked.Gayle is serving his life sentence at a minimum-security prison in British Columbia. The Parole Board of Canada ruled that while he has made progress and is assessed as a low risk to reoffend, he remains under a deportation order and would be sent to Jamaica if released. The board found there would not be adequate structured supervision there and that relying on family support was insufficient to protect the public. Board members also said they were not satisfied Gayle has sufficient insight into why he used such extreme violence, noting his accounts of the 1994 shooting have shifted across multiple hearings..The Toronto Police Association linked the two cases directly, stating: “While our attention was focused on the outcome of Clinton Gayle’s parole hearing, another cop killer proved exactly why we don’t let these offenders out on parole. This incident was predictable and has now resulted in more victims. It could have been entirely preventable if the correct reforms from the federal government were implemented sooner. We need these changes now.”Union president Clayton Campbell said the Gayle denial “offers a measure of hope that Canadians can have confidence in our justice system,” while adding that “important gaps remain.” The association is calling for concrete reforms, including raising parole eligibility for these offences from 25 years to 35 years and holding hearings every five years instead of every two.Police Association of Ontario president Mark Baxter said Munro “should have never been released in the first place” and “should serve out his living days behind bars.”The Baylis family and the police association have written to Prime Minister Mark Carney seeking stronger victim participation and better notice requirements.
