Police Officers Charged With Manslaughter

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Parent Category: Jan 2012

Category: Week end Jan 7th, 2012

Published on Monday, 09 January 2012 08:02

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A mob-like crowd converged in the precincts of the Number One Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday as five police officers were brought to court in connection with the death of Grenadian-born Canadian resident Peter Oscar Bartholomew.

The officers are Police Constables 649 Edward Gibson, 675 Shaun Ganness, 237 Ruddy Felix, 748 Kenton Hazzard, and Rural Constable Wendell Sylvester. They are each charged with manslaughter in the death of the 39-year old Bartholomew.

The police officers are accused of beating Bartholomew while he was in police custody at the St. David’s Police Station on Boxing Day, December 26. The naturalised Canadian citizen subsequently died at the St. George’s General Hospital the following morning as a result of the injuries he sustained.

A high profile team of local attorneys - former Attorney General, Dr. Francis Alexis, Anselm Clouden and Cajeton Hood, is representing the accused policemen. The lawyers sought to present Chief Magistrate Tamara Gill with a bail application on behalf of their clients but it was rejected.

Gibson is being represented by Constitutional Lawyer, Dr. Alexis, QC, Attorney Clouden is representing Felix and Sylvester, while attorney Cajeton Hood is representing Hazzard and Ganness. Chief Magistrate Gill indicated that the matter having taken place in the Eastern District has to be heard at the St. David’s Magistrate’s Court and it is her intention to have the resident magistrate there, Nevlyn John deal with the bail application on Friday (January 6) when the Preliminary Inquiry is expected to start.

She noted that there is a constitutional requirement that after someone is charged that they be brought to court at the first available opportunity, hence the reason why the police officers have been brought before her.

The five police officers were remanded in custody at the Richmond Hill prison until their next court date.

Tight security measures were put in place in an effort to provide protection for the accused police officers.

A police operation headed by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Sylvan McIntyre managed to slip the policemen in and out of the court and away from the large crowd who became vocal and were heard shouting: “Police Brutality.”

Attorney-at-law, Derick Sylvester who is representing the Bartholomew family’s interest met with the media after the police officers’ appearance in court and called on the nation to observe a sober reflection over the situation.

According to Sylvester, there is no doubt that the country is in mourning and made an impassionate plea for members of the public including Bartholomew’s family to be temperate by respecting police officers, and do not lose sight that there is still a country to build.

He urged persons not to interfere with the investigation, police officers, or witnesses in the case.

“I would ask everyone to let us continue to respect our police officers, and we expect the same in return... Let the administration of justice take its course,” he said.

Sylvester believes that the Boxing Day incident should serve as a wake-up call for everyone involved and that now is the time for an introspective look to be taken as to how “we behave and how we treat other persons.”

The city attorney felt that if mutual respect had existed Bartholomew would have been alive today.

Bartholomew was in Grenada with his Canadian/Grenadian wife Dollette Cyra Bartholomew for the Christmas Holiday.

The alleged beating occurred while the wife went to use the bathroom facilities at the St. David’s Police Station.

Bartholomew is said to have mistakenly took a young female police officer as an old friend and proceeded to embrace her and uttered the following words: “Ah get you now, ah going with you, ah don’t care what happen”.

The female officer then called out to some of her colleagues for help and Bartholomew was then taken into custody and brought inside the police station.

The family used the services last Saturday of Professor Dr. Hubert Daisley who conducted a second autopsy to determine the cause of death.

A first autopsy was conducted by the State, which concluded that Bartholomew died from trauma to the head with multiple skull fractures, sub dual hemorrhage, and increased intracranial pressure.

Sylvester said Dr. Daisley’s five-page autopsy report is much more thorough and descriptive about the injuries on Bartholomew.

In a brief statement, Bartholomew’s wife said it is unfortunate what occurred at the St. David’s Police Station.

Although she misses her husband, she too is urging the nation to begin the healing process and not engage in fighting.

The Canadian/Grenadian spoke of Grenada being a beautiful country, and promised to speak of the beauty of the country to other Canadians although “one bad thing happened.”

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