Serious accusation of police wrong-doing

Nov 04, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
This is about a sad situation involving a friend of mine whose taxi was hit from behind by another driver.
The first frightening thing that happened was that the Sergeant at the a certain police station (named) knew him as he (the Sergeant) was the non-beneficiary (or loser) in a personal situation that also involved my friend some months earlier, and this was the ideal situation for the Sergeant to get even and throw the book at him although he was clearly driving properly and did not break any traffic laws.
I was there at the scene of the accident where there was a thirty-foot skid mark leading to the back of my friend’s car, made by the other driver and put into evidence by the constable who took measurements and other evidence at the scene.
This proved that the other driver was doing around 60 mph in the 30 mph zone where the accident happened. I was also at the Sergeant’s office at the station in protest of the charges laid against my friend when we were told to leave the station by the Sergeant without any explanation for his own refusal to apply the traffic laws in a fair and professional way.
It is universal knowledge by everyone who uses the roadways in this country and all other civilized countries that the driver who hits another from behind is in breach of the law!
Well my friend was put on bail and went through a lengthy court process (having to appear in the Magistrate Court on numerous occasions over the last eight or nine months) to wait for what should have been a simple, academic outcome.
Instead he was fined and sent away with a warning. Here’s the other chilling part of this unfortunate story.
The Magistrate refused to acknowledge the facts of the case, including the skids, and sat there and shamelessly sided with the Police Sergeant instead of recommending to the Police Commissioner that he/she (the sergeant) be disciplined for attempting to prosecute what was obviously a legally and professionally faulty case.
Our Justice System somehow has to rid itself of these incompetent, corrupt and activist players. It is obvious that this negative culture is today so deeply ingrained that the legal conscience of our beloved country has been put under siege. Can the culture be changed? Do we have the political will to change it?
Are our institutions strong enough to see to it that this change takes place? Did the sergeant commit a crime, and/or more seriously, did the Magistrate (himself or herself) commit a crime? Should he/she be allowed to continue on the bench?
After all, incompetence, omissions, collusion, conspiracy and everything else that leads to injustice ought to be criminal and therefore prosecuted and punished.
Innocent, honest, law-abiding citizens are being unnecessarily burdened by this justice system which is replete with incompetent, corrupt, activist players and it is very unfair.
R. H

Editor’s note. The letter-writer requested initials only. We are not inclined to continue with this format. We prefer the entire name

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