In Westmoreland, Jamaica, three police officers were found guilty in the 2014 death of 31-year-old construction worker Mario Deane, who was fatally beaten while in police custody. A seven-member jury in the Westmoreland Circuit Court delivered a six-to-one verdict on each count against the officers after deliberating for just over two hours.
The accused are Corporal Elaine Stewart and District Constables Marlon Grant and Juliana Clevon. All three were charged with manslaughter by gross negligence and misconduct in a public office. Stewart faced an additional charge of doing acts intended to pervert the course of justice.
Supreme Court Judge Justice Courtney Daye instructed the jury to address each count separately for each accused. Ultimately, the jury found all three guilty on counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and misconduct in a public office. Stewart was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
The case centered around the events of August 3, 2014, when Deane was arrested for possession of a ganja spliff and placed in the Barnett Street Police Station lockup. While in custody, he was allegedly brutally beaten, resulting in severe brain injuries that left him in a coma. He died three days later at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James.
The prosecution alleged that the three officers were on duty at the police station when the beating occurred. Further, Stewart was accused of instructing that the cell where the attack took place be cleaned before investigators from the Independent Commission of Investigations arrived.
During the trial, the jury was presented with unsworn statements from the accused officers, in which they rejected the testimony of the Crown’s key witness—an inmate at the Barnett Street Police Station at the time of the incident. The inmate had provided a “chilling account of Dean’s beating and the reaction of the cops when they were told what happened to Deane,” also stating that Deane was physically abused by Grant.
Justice Daye acknowledged “inconsistencies in the evidence provided by the witness,” instructing the jury to decide if the witness gave a “satisfactory explanation for the discrepancies.” He added, “You will have to decide if you throw out everything that he said,” and instructed the jury on how to proceed if they chose to do so.
The trial lasted for 29 days, with summations by the Crown, defense lawyers, and Justice Daye taking seven days. The case, which began on March 3rd, experienced several interruptions and adjournments for various reasons.