Retired cop fined for beating vendor

A retired police officer, who now owns a security company, was on Friday convicted by a Tobago magistrate and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine for assaulting a sno-cone vendor in 2010.

Alfred Melville, who is also called “Old Boat”, was found guilty by acting deputy chief magistrate Cherril-Anne Antoine and was given two weeks to pay the fine or he will serve five years’ hard labour if he does not.

Melville, who was a police officer for over 30 years, was charged with wounding Lester Nowell on July 24, 2010. The retired policeman also filed a private complaint against Nowell for also allegedly wounding him.

Both matters were heard together in the Scarborough Magistrates’ Court and 11 witnesses were called for the prosecution, led by Assistant DPP George Busby, while the defence called three.

According to the State’s case, Nowell, was sitting on the Esplanade at Milford Road at his night job at a shop.

At about 8.45 pm, Melville, a director of Melfor Security Services, which had a contract with the Division of Education, pulled up in a van and accused Nowell of trying to steal a car battery from the division’s compound.

Not appreciating the way he was approached, Nowell told Melville that his “approach was bad”, that he started “off wrong” and suggested Melville return to his van and come again. Nowell was then hit with a torchlight by Melville who followed him into the shop and rained blows on him with the torchlight.

Nowell said he tried to defend himself with a plastic chair, a metal chair, a brick, and took up a piece of iron used to display wigs and ran out of the shop.

Melville pursued and he was struck with the iron on his head and waist. Norwell ran across the road, Melville followed and wrestled with him for the iron. Norwell ran back across the road and Melville then got in his van and drove off. Nowell’s left arm was broken and Melville received cuts to his left temple, left fourth finger and a swollen middle finger.

The altercation was witnessed by Lorna Nero, who testified for the prosecution. It was also presented to the court that Melville attacked Nowell at the police station when he went to make a report.

Melville, in his defence, denied he attacked Nowell, but said he had to defend himself when he asked him about being at the division. He said the shop’s owner, Lois Moses, gave Nowell the piece of iron and he wrestled him to the ground to take it from him.

Antoine said Melville would have been the aggressor, angry at losing batteries in the past, and being unable to apprehend anyone. She said she did not believe Nowell abruptly attacked him with a brick and said when he picked up the iron, he did so in self defence. She also found his evidence to be believable and Melville’s defence as not credible.

In her ruling, Antoine dismissed Melville’s private complaint and found him guilty on the wounding charge which was laid by retired ASP Vincel Edwards. She also held that the attack on Nowell was unprovoked and considered that part of the attack took place at a police station, saying Melville had a chance to “cool off” before then. She also considered, for sentencing purposes, that he had no previous convictions and that he was now 73 with ten children.

Nowell had to have steel wires inserted into his arm to stabilise the elbow.