Mountie denies tying up 11-year-old son during Florida family vacation

OTTAWA – An RCMP officer accused of chaining his 11-year-old in the basement of his home has told court the boy frequently made up outlandish stories.

In a second day of testimony this week in his own defence, the officer is detailing the many behavioural problems he says he experienced with his son.

The man, whose name cannot be published in order to protect the boy’s identity, described in detail a Florida family vacation, which he says he thought his son enjoyed.

Last fall, the boy testified that during one vacation he was left tied up in a hotel room, where he was forced to urinate on himself.

The officer denies it ever happened, showing the court pictures from two vacations where he, his wife and three children appeared happy.

The Mountie, now 44, and the boy’s stepmother were charged in February 2013 after the boy was found wandering in search of water.

The court earlier heard testimony that the boy was fed two peanut butter pitas a day before escaping his chains and weighed only 50 pounds when taken to hospital.