Cops in court on four charges

A POLICE corporal and two constables of the Western Division Task Force appeared before a Port of Spain magistrate, yesterday, charged with assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment and misbehaviour in office.

Cpl Nicholas Nurse, and PCs Kevin Cassie and Kevin de Freitas appeared before deputy chief magistrate Nanette Forde-John in the Port of Spain Magistrates court, to answer the four charges which arose out of an incident involving a La Puerta man, on November 5.

The three are accused of assaulting and kidnapping Nicholas Owen, who they also alleged charged with three offences of resisting arrest, using obscene language and obstructing the police in the execution of their duties.

The policemen, who had been granted bail by a justice of the peace at the police station, had their bail regularised and will reappear in court on Wednesday as the disclosure of the police’s summary of evidence and other evidence was not available at yesterday’s court hearing, as is required under the new Criminal Procedure Rules.

The three surrendered to the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) last Wednesday.

It is alleged that the police went to La Puerta on a report of a shooting when they apprehended a man.

However, the man went to the PSB office with his stepfather, who works at the St James Police Station, and reported he had been assaulted by the officers.

Owen’s case for resisting arrest, using obscene language and obstruction comes up for hearing on June 3.