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Agricola family charged following allegations of police abuse

May 12, 2009 News

– placed on self bail

An Agricola family, who had questioned the police about their professionalism, had three members of their family slapped with charges ranging from disorderly behaviour to assaulting a peace officer.
It was alleged that Owen John, 56, of 86 Romulus Street, Agricola, on May 2, last assaulted Dinard Cambridge, Assistant Superintendent of Police, who was acting in the execution of duty.
Another charge stated that the accused behaved disorderly in a public place. Owen John pleaded not guilty to both charges that were read to him by Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson.
His sons, Michael and Fabio, were also charged but were not present in court yesterday, due to the fact that the police did not inform them.
According to the defendant, he was only told (yesterday morning) that he would have been charged after he was required to report to the police station.
He said that on the day in question he was sleeping when his wife who informed him that the police were outside awakened him.
John further explained that he went outside and saw a police officer standing on the fence and he told the officer to get off of the fence.
“I saw him on the fence and I simply asked him to get off of the fence” John explained.
He said that the officers were shouting for him to open the gate and he sent his son Michael for the keys to open the gate.
The father said that after he complied with the police, they immediately rushed into the yard and told them that they going to search the house for guns and ammunition. He said that after he questioned the police about their professionalism, they informed him that he and his sons were going to be arrested.
He said that after they continued to question the police his son Michael was slapped twice by an officer. The father said that his oldest son Fabio who lives downstairs also enquired why his family was been harassed, he too was assaulted by the officers who dragged him down the steps.
John further told the court that he and his sons were arrested and taken to the Brickdam Police Station where they were kept for almost ten hours before being released on self-bail.
Yesterday there was no objection to bail by Police Prosecutor Seetaram. John was placed on self-bail and instructed to inform his sons that they needed to be present at the next court date. The matter was adjourned for June 12.
Owen John, Assistant Director Nursing Services, and Coordinator of In-service Education for Nurses, of the Georgetown Public Hospital, went to the press after he felt that his family had been victims of excessive harassment by police ranks on Saturday last.
A police release, which was issued on May 8, 2009, refuted all the claims, which were made the family stating that the search was a part of a larger operation, which was done in the Agricola Community.

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