March date for cops in viral beating
Published:Wednesday | February 10, 2021 | 3:28 AM
Two police constables who were charged in relation to the alleged beating of a man in west Kingston in 2019 are to return to the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on March 2.
Constables Tevin Lake and Kenroy Chambers are facing a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm stemming from an October 13 incident in the vicinity of Regent Street, Kingston 14. Videos of the beating went viral and sparked a demonstration and outrage.
The men were charged on January 11 following a ruling from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). However, the court was also informed that a ruling had been made by the ODPP on May 8, 2020 that they should not be charged.
On Tuesday when the matter was mentioned, the clerk of the court told the court that the policemen were arresting the complainant after he allegedly used expletives when it is alleged that they used force resulting in injury.
The clerk further informed Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague that the file is to be made ready for disclosure and a mention date was scheduled in March.
The constables, who were summoned before the court, were bound over to return by the judge.
In the video, which went viral on social media at the time of the incident, police officers appearing to be in a heated exchange with the complainant were seen following closely on the heels of the complainant, who was descending a flight of stairs of a high-rise building in Denham Town.
On reaching the ground floor, the complainant and lawmen were seen walking a short distance before a tussle ensued.
The complainant was then thrown to the ground by the lawmen. While there, he received several blows from the constables before one of them stomped on his head.
Attorney-at-law Courtney Rowe is representing the accused police officers.