Jamaica – What started as a easy act of kindness resulted in concern, humiliation, and a years-long court docket battle for one St Mary man who says he was wrongfully locked up and abused by cops on the Oracabessa Police Station almost a decade in the past.
The person, recognized in court docket paperwork as J.D. Brown (title modified to guard identification), was awarded $1.5 million in damages by the Supreme Court docket following a lawsuit towards the Authorities and 4 cops for false imprisonment, assault, and breaches of his constitutional rights.
Based on Brown’s affidavit, he went to the Oracabessa Police Station round July 8, 2016, to ship meals to a relative in custody. He mentioned the cops on obligation had been “pleasant” and he spent about quarter-hour chatting with them earlier than returning house.
However solely minutes later, Brown acquired a name that turned his night time the other way up.
A feminine cop, Constable Stephanie Harrison, allegedly known as asking if he was the person who had simply delivered meals to the station. When he confirmed, her tone reportedly turned “offended and aggressive.”
The decision dropped, and when Brown dialed again, a male officer answered, accusing him of stealing the feminine cop’s cellphone and threatening to “ship a patrol fi me and throw me inna jail” if he didn’t return it.
Terrified, Brown went again to the station round 10:20 p.m., solely to be surrounded by 4 cops — Constables Harrison, Rayon Anderson, Oliver Brown, and one recognized solely as Bailey. He mentioned they searched him roughly, discovered nothing, and locked him up in a “filthy, smelly holding space.”
“Dem seize me up, drape me, and inform me me nah depart till me discuss what occur to the cellphone,” Brown recalled in his affidavit.
He mentioned the officers interrogated him harshly and hurled insults, calling him a “dutty thief.” One officer reportedly swung a baton inside inches of his face to intimidate him. The ordeal allegedly lasted 4 and a half hours, till 3:50 a.m., when one of many cops advised him he was being launched “for now.”
Hours later, Brown mentioned Constable Harrison known as once more — this time to apologize, saying that they had discovered her lacking cellphone.
Brown advised Mckoy’s Information he was by no means cautioned or advised of his proper to an legal professional, and that the incident left him emotionally scarred and frightened of police to today.
“Dem shoulda gi me more cash,” Brown mentioned after the ruling. “Keep in mind say a dem unsuitable me completely. Me did harmless proper by.”
The court docket awarded $600,000 for breaches of his constitutional rights, $200,000 for false imprisonment, and $250,000 for assault, with curiosity courting again to December 2016.
Legal professional Obika Gordon, who represented Brown, defined that despite the fact that Brown was not bodily crushed, the threats and intimidation had been sufficient to represent assault in regulation.
“As soon as any individual places you in affordable apprehension of concern, then you have got been assaulted,” Gordon mentioned.
Brown says regardless of the judgment, he nonetheless lives in concern, typically transferring between family’ properties to keep away from encounters with the identical officers.
“Mi cyaan keep one place,” he mentioned quietly. “Mi nonetheless concern.”
