Chavette Strachan, Dale Gibson Jr and Kenton Fines.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
RIGHTS Bahamas yesterday urged three people who allege they were tortured by police for confessions in Eleuthera last year to take immediate legal action.
Chavette Strachan, Dale Gibson Jr and Kenton Fines say they were handcuffed, beaten and fish-bagged at the Governor’s Harbour Police Station on January 19, 2018.
Two of them, Ms Strachan and Mr Gibson, were summoned to give evidence on Monday against an officer allegedly involved in the incident, but they were given the run-around before they were told time had passed for their matter to be addressed.
Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson is said to be investigating the matter. A source in the Minnis administration noted the fact that a disciplinary hearing was called means the incident was investigated and top officials believed an action against the officer was warranted.
Nonetheless, in a statement yesterday, Rights Bahamas said: “These victims were ignored, given the run-around and told that according to ‘the law,’ the Police Disciplinary Tribunal could not hear their matter. We know of no such law and cry shame on the police for trying to pull the wool over these poor victims’ eyes, closing ranks and failing in their duty to take proper action against police brutality.
“Imagine being handcuffed, beaten and suffocated at the hands of police officers, only later to be released without charge. Imagine reporting the matter and then being ignored for more than a year. Then, when the police finally do call and you show up to a hearing as requested, imagine being told your complaint has unfortunately run out of time.”
Ms Strachan, Mr Gibson and Mr Fines were released without charge on January 22, 2018. They were arrested and questioned as officers investigated an attempted murder and armed robbery on Eleuthera. They filed a complaint with the police force’s Complaints and Corruption Unit in February 2018. They have also filed a lawsuit against the police in relation to the allegations.
Comments
bogart 5 years, 1 month ago
DONT DA POWERS DAT BE........HAVE COMMON SENSE....TO KNOW....AN VICTIMIZE....DA....PORE BAHAMIANS DONT MONEY TO HIRE LAWYERS......TO GO UP AGSONST.........DA RICH ..POWERFUL...ECHELON...ELITES...CRONIES...CONNE TED...POWERFUL...who blatently...do egregious wrongs...victmizes ..pore people...an NO RESOURCE...TO RIGHT SIDE ..WRONGS DONE TO PORE.... Simple investogation...simple arbitration....simply...justice...Ombudsman....neutral independent agemcy.....should be established to stand up for the many Bahamians ...being victimized ...cannot stand up .....because they are pore...anguished..frustrated...
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 1 month ago
The more policemen and defense force officers we get who are of Haitian (or Jamaican) ancestry, the more we will be hearing about stories like the one above. That's the sad reality of the situation for Bahamians today. The trusted and proud colonial heritage our Bahamian police force once enjoyed has long ago given way to something very sinister and barbaric. Something that one typically finds in the early developmental stages of a police state run by a dictator. Brace yourselves fellow Bahamians - the worst is yet to come! LMAO
John 5 years, 1 month ago
Ms Strachan, Mr Gibson and Mr Fines were released without charge on January 22, 2018. They were arrested and questioned as officers investigated an attempted murder and armed robbery on Eleuthera. They filed a complaint with the police force’s Complaints and Corruption Unit in February 2018. They have also filed a lawsuit against the police in relation to the allegations.
So they only give a few days to file complaints against the police? No wonder why the gears of the torture machine (pliers, electric cords attached to metal chairs placed in puddles of water, baseball bats, rope around the neck, getting tossed in the canal at night, threatened to get run over by a vehicle) are so well oiled and the fish bags are so full of hotsauce and sweat. And now even the women dem toting blows from male police officers. Even Haiti does not tolerate this degree of physical abous from police.
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