Reasonable Force – Police fire back amid claim of abuse under SOE
October 28, 2019The police are gearing up to tell the court that excessive force was not used when a constable beat a cook-shop operator with a baton in Lluidas Vale, St Catherine, shortly before midnight on Saturday, October 19.
The cook-shop owner, Orville Lyle, otherwise called Fisher Blue, told The Beacon that a constable at Shady Grove Police Station in Lluidas Vale ‘unjustly’ beat him with the baton while telling him to close his business.
He further stated that the police have charged him with resisting arrest.
However, a police source told The Beacon that Lyle is also charged with two counts of assaulting an officer, as well as breach of the State of Emergency (SOE) Act.
The police are claiming that Lyle habitually keeps his cook-shop in operation after the 11PM closing time stipulated under the ongoing SOE in St Catherine.
They are gearing up to tell the court that, on the night of the incident, two male officers were on patrol shortly before midnight when they saw Lyle sitting and playing a game at his cook-shop.
The police will argue that Lyle was instructed to cease operation, but he did not budge for about three minutes.
One of the officers eventually told Lyle that he was under arrest, but Lyle allegedly told him that he could not be arrested, and that he would not go to the nearby police station.
Further allegations by the police are that the officer tried to hold Lyle for alleged breach of the State of Emergency Act, but Lyle pushed away the officer’s hands on about four occasions.
The court will hear that the second officer intervened and also tried to hold Lyle, but the businessman also pushed away his hands.
The police are admitting that one of the officers beat the businessman with a baton, adding that the use of the weapon was reasonable.
Lyle, who suffered a number of bruises, eventually was brought to Shady Grove Police Station where he spent a night. He was granted bail the following day, and is to appear before the court next month.
Lyle, in the meantime, was among persons robbed by gunmen during another SOE in the Lluidas Vale area on the night of November 27 last year.
At that time, he allegedly was operating outside the hours stipulated for the closure of businesses.
In that incident, the gunmen robbed Lyle of various items, including a wallet that contained important documents; $35,000 cash; and a Samsung phone valued at about 300,000. The gunmen also fired shots at a running resident.
ALSO READ: Cook-shop owner beaten by cop after missing closing time under SOE
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