Four policemen have appeared in court on different charges, including corruption and assault, related to separate events. They have all been suspended from duty.
The charges came after investigations by Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau (IPROB) and rulings by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
They are Corporal Howard Richards, Corporal Andrew Tinker, Constable Headley Gray and Constable Orlando Webster.
Corporal Howard Richards of the St. Elizabeth Division was charged with Assault Occasioning Bodily Harm following a July 2012 incident. Reports are that Richards was on an operation when it is alleged that he assaulted an individual while making an arrest. A report was filed and an investigation launched. Richards was arrested and charged on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
He appeared in the St. Elizabeth Parish Court and was offered bail in the sum of J$300,000 with 1-3 sureties. He is to reappear in court on February 2021.
Constables Headley Gray and Orlando Webster of the Trelawny Division were arrested and charged for Breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act on December 16, 2020. Reports are that both policemen were on a pre-dawn operation on September 13, 2019, in the Stewart Town area of the parish. A motor vehicle was intercepted and a man seen with five goats aboard, for which he could not give a proper account. It is alleged that the policemen solicited J$70,000 from the owner of the goats to have them returned.
A report was made and an investigation launched. Both constables were subsequently arrested and charged. They appeared in the Trelawny Parish Court on Wednesday, December 16 and were offered bail in the sum of J$400,000. They are to reappear in court in March 2021.
Investigators also arrested and charged Corporal Andrew Tinker, who is assigned to St. Catherine North Division for Breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act on Wednesday, December 21. Reports are that Corporal Tinker was on duty when suspects were brought in for breaches of the Noise Abatement and Disaster Risk Management Acts. They were offered bail in the sum of J$50,000 and it is alleged that Corporal Tinker solicited J$2,000 from the suspects to have their bail reduced to J$30,000. The accused were subsequently released and a report filed against Corporal Tinker.
He appeared in the St. Catherine Parish Court on Tuesday, December 1 and was granted bail in the sum of JMD$150,000. His trial is set to begin on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.
All four policemen have been suspended from duty.
