CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – POLICE have charged Steadroy ‘Seamoss’ Sutton for beating the officer who allegedly twice shot him while he was executing his duties as a security guard at the Turtle Times Restaurant on Pinney’s Beach on Saturday, September 19, 2015.
Information reaching this publication stated that, yesterday (Nov. 10), Sutton had appeared at the Charlestown Magistrate’s Court in Nevis before Her Worship Jasmine Clarke to answer to the charge of beating Constable Randolph Diamond of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force.
He had reportedly received the summons on Thursday (Nov. 5), which is dated Monday, November 2, 2015 and reads in part that a complaint was made by “the Chief of Police for you on the 19th day of September, 2015 at Pinney’s Beach in the parish of St. Thomas in the Magisterial District “C” in the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis did beat Randolph Diamond Contrary to Section 13 (1) of the Small Charges Act Chapter 4:36 of the Revise Edition 2002 of the Federation. You are hereby summoned to appear before this Court sitting at Charlestown on Tuesday the 10th day of November 2015 at the hour of 9 o’clock in the forenoon, to answer to the same complaint”.
SKNVibes was told that Sutton did appear in Court with Defence Counsel John Cato who, together with Police Prosecutor Inspector Steven Hector, had requested an adjournment, which was granted sine die.
Sine die means that the matter was adjourned without a date being fixed for its future hearing.
One of Sutton’s relative is of the view that the police have preferred the charge against him in an effort to “paint a different picture to what actually happened on the beach that morning”.
“The first thing that the police in Nevis did that is blatantly contrary to the law is only charging that officer with wounding with intent. If it was a member of the public, like they always do, that person would have been charged with attempted murder.
“They claimed that the officer was on duty. We don’t know it that is true. He was not in uniform, and if he was indeed on duty, why didn’t he identify himself when Seamoss approached and tried to stop him from relieving himself on the premises? Let’s suppose that Seamoss had beat him, as the police claimed, and the officer defended himself by shooting him in the groin, why did he fire a second shot? And not only firing a second shot, but in Seamoss’ back, just one inch away from his spine.”
The relative also proffered the view that Sutton, as he had told a reporter, had a right to defend himself because “self preservation is nature’s first law”.
On Saturday (Sept. 19), Sutton was shot twice while executing his duties as a security guard at the Turtle Times Restaurant on Pinney’s Beach. He had sustained wounds to his groin and lower back.
A journalist of the St. Kitts-Nevis Observer had reportedly spoken to Sutton, who claimed that at about 2:00 a.m. on the day in question, while on duty clad in his security uniform, he had observed a person walking from the direction of Sunshine Bar and Restaurant towards the Turtle Times Restaurant and started urinating on the grounds of the establishment.
The media house further reported that Sutton had walked towards the restaurant in order to call the police when the person opened fire in his direction, hitting him once.
“I walked up the building to take up my book to call an officer to report the guy. The person found me right at the building and said he wanted to make the call himself. He then took off the gun and shot me,” the guard recounted to the Observer’s reporter.
Sutton also reportedly told the reporter that after the first shot, he jumped on the person but released his hold on him after realising the wound was bleeding.
“I went back and as I turned around, he shot me in the back. I ran to the bandstand and interrupted the vocalist," adding that the vocalist called the police and on the arrival of an officer he was taken to the hospital at 3:00 a.m.
Following investigations by the Violent Crimes Unit and the Office of Professional Standards, Constable Diamond was suspended from the Police Force and subsequently charged with wounding with intent.
