All charges dropped in Scotia Bank robbery
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ANOTHER matter has surfaced where fingers are pointing at members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force for not conducting thorough investigations before charging and issuing press releases with mug shots of individuals that eventually reach social and mainstream media.
Almost 33 months after a young man had appeared in the Basseterre Magistrate’s Court for a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into criminal charges preferred against him, the police have decided to issued a press release today (Oct. 16), stating that he was acquitted.
The young man, who is said to be a native of Jamaica, had appeared before Magistrate Josephine Mallalieu-Webbe charged with three counts of robbery, allegedly committed at the Bird Rock Branch of Scotia Bank on Friday, July 20, 2012.
The release states that on January 24, 2013, Magistrate Mallalieu-Webbe, “in proceedings at the Preliminary Inquiry at the Basseterre Magistrate’s Court, found that Mr. Glenroy Crossman had no case to answer in the proceedings brought against him for robbery. In light of this, Magistrate Mallalieu-Webbe ordered that the proceedings be dismissed and that Mr, Glenroy Crossman was discharged”.
Though the police, in the past, did not inform that Crossman had filed a civil suit against the authorities, it was indirectly stated in the press, which reads: “RE: Claim No. SKBHCV2013/0216- Glenroy Crossman, Claimant v Detroit Henry, 1st Defendant, Commissioner of Police, 2nd Defendant and the Attorney General of St. Christopher and Nevis 3rd Defendant (Bank of Nova Scotia Bank robbery- July 2012).”
It states: “All matters relating to the civil proceedings brought by Mr. Crossman in respect of those criminal proceedings have been settled.”
At about 11:35 a.m. on July 20, 2012, two masked, armed men had carried out a daring robbery at the Bird Rock Branch of Scotia Bank.
SKNVibes had arrived at the scene some 15 minutes after the robbery and had observed the presence of a few officers and also technicians from a unit of the Emergency Medical Services rendering treatment to a traumatised female who was said to be a customer.
Also present was Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for Crime, Ian Queeley, who told this publication that they were at the time unable to state the amount of money that was stolen from the bank.
The two bandits had made good their escape by running along a track in the vicinity of Builders Paradise in the C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Site, but the investigators, along with Prego, which was at that time the newest K-9 member to join the Force, and another dog, were hot on their trail.
However, a police release had stated that Crossman was arrested and charged on Friday, July 27, 2012 and remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison.
It had also stated that the then Commissioner of Police, Celvin ‘CG’ Walwyn, had extended his gratitude to the officers of the Force for their hard work and also members of the public for the valuable part they played during investigations into the robbery.
In today’s press release, the police have appealed to media houses “to kindly remove any information and photos on their website and other internet sites relating to Mr. Crossman and this matter”.
In the interest of Crossman, SKNVibes had decided not to comply with the request, as his photograph and all matters relating to his innocent arrest, charges and incarceration have already been disseminated by the police and published by local, regional and other media houses further afield.
SKNVibes had written a number of articles denouncing what the police had done in the past.
In those articles, it was highlighted that when press releases were disseminated to media houses concerning individual charged with criminal offences, the police do not provide any information after they were exonerated.
The question was once posed to the Press and Public Relations Officer who stated that after charges were laid against an individual, the matter was no longer in the hands of the police but the Court.
This writer was not satisfied with that answer, because the police are known to be issuing press releases after many individuals had appeared in the Courts and were convicted, fined, jailed or placed on a bond. But they do not inform when charges were dropped due to the lack of evidence or acquitted at the PI hearing.
The problem with PIs is that the law does not allow media operatives to be present in Court. It is similar to rape cases which are held in camera.
Because of that law and what the police refrain from doing, this writer, through this medium, had been advising those who were exonerated at PI hearings to visit media houses so that the results could be published and the public would know of their innocence.
The most important aspect for the publication of the findings is to remove the stigma; for when they would have applied for a job, either at home or abroad, employers would normally Google their names and find that charges for which they were proven innocent are still attached to their names.
Cases in which officers had charged individuals without having concrete evidence, maybe by not conducting thorough investigations, have not only caused the Police Force to seem incompetent, but also resulted in the Government having to pay for their follies.
Evidence of the latter lies in the $EC165 000 award to Everette Davis for wrongful incarceration.
There are many more such cases that will be revealed in the near future. Look out for the high-profile one that is scheduled for Friday (Oct, 23).
