BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A couple from St. Johnson Village, who was charged with possession of cannabis, has accused a member of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force of brutality.
Magdelene Hazel and her boyfriend, Adolphus Wyatt, of St. Johnson Village were charged with the offence on Sunday (Aug. 19). Hazel, however, has not denied the find within her home but claimed that the officers lacked professionalism in the execution of their duty.
Recounting what transpired on the day in question, Hazel said that at approximately 9:00 p.m. while she was seated atop her low wall fence and her boyfriend was seated on a cooler by her kitchen door discussing the situation in which her two sons were charged with the murder of Laustin ‘Jamie’ Williams, she had observed a vehicle within which were a number of police officers stopping at the exit to the JNF Hospital on Hospital Road.
“While we were discussing the situation concerning my two sons, I saw when the police vehicle came along Hospital Road, stopped at the gate of the hospital and about six to seven officers jumped out of it. They then went onto an empty plot of land next to my home and jumped my fence.
“After jumping over my fence, one of the officers said that they had a warrant to search the home of Elene Hazel and I told him that I am that person. However, while he was reading the warrant to me in the yard, two other officers barged into my house.
“My boyfriend then asked the officer who was reading the warrant why is it that they always harassing me. From the moment the words came out of his mouth, another officer (name provided) chucked him off the cooler, shackled him and pushed him into the kitchen.”
Hazel said that she was taken inside the house to observe the officers while they were conducting a search of her home.
“Four of the officers had remained in the yard and three of them, including the one that chucked my boyfriend, were searching Jahari’s room, which is now occupied by my granddaughter, when I heard my daughter calling for me.
“You see, the children went to watch a football match in The Village and on their return home they saw the police officers in the yard and that’s the reason why my daughter was calling out for me.
“I left Jahari’s room and went into my bedroom and answered my daughter from through the window. But this seemed to have annoyed the same aggressive officer, and while returning to Jahari’s room he chucked me into it. I then asked him why he had to chuck me and one of the officers said that I should not have removed from the room while a search was being conducted.
“I told the aggressive officer who chucked me that he could have cautioned me instead of doing what he did. But, once again, my response seemed to have angered him and he boxed me on the right side of my neck and shackled me.”
Hazel explained that the officers continued their search and on emptying the contents of a vase she had in her cabinet in the kitchen, they found a small quantity of marijuana wrapped in a piece of napkin.
“I had seen that piece of napkin before in the vase but I didn’t know that it had contained marijuana. Normally, we would put medication such as Paracetamol in that vase for easy access, but I never knew that that piece of napkin had contained marijuana.
“When the officer showed it to me, I saw that it was a small amount and it was very, very brown and dried up. So, I realised that it must have been there for quite a while and maybe, just maybe, it must have been put there by one of my sons before they were arrested.”
Hazel also explained that she, while handcuffed, was arrested and taken to Sandy Point Police Station while her boyfriend, also handcuffed, was taken to St. Paul’s Police Station, and both of them were charged with possession of cannabis.
This media house had advised Hazel to lodge a complaint with Sergeant Jacobs of the Police Complaint Section.
However, when contacted, Sergeant Jacobs stated that he knew nothing of the incident and explained that there is a laid down procedure concerning complaints against any member of the Police Force.
He explained that if one wants to lodge a complaint against an officer, one should report the matter to the Guardroom, from whence it would be forwarded to him; after which he would commence an investigation.
