Two young men, who claimed to have been mishandled by the police, have been jailed for six months for breaking into TINY Supermarket, owned by a Chinese businessman, and stealing several cartons of cigarettes and marijuana rolling papers.
The accused, 24-year-old Jahbal Grant of Parham and 29-year-old Kamory Miller of Hatton, appeared in St John’s Magistrates’ Court yesterday before acting Chief Magistrate Dexter Wason.
The police arrested and charged the duo with five charges: break-in, entering and larceny, two counts of battery on police and two charges of resisting arrest.
While admitting to unlawfully entering the supermarket and stealing the cigarettes, a pack of Blunt, and two boxes of Raw rolling papers valued $780, they denied beating a corporal and constable and resisting both officers while in the execution of their duty.
The court was told that the business owner secured his property at about 8pm on Saturday and went home. However, some time about 2:44am on Sunday he was awakened by an alarm on his phone.
He checked CCTV footage and saw two unknown men inside the supermarket. The businessman immediately made a report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and two officers from that department, along with men from the Special Services Unit responding to the report.
After arriving on the scene, the lawmen discovered the duo on rafters in the roof of the building. Demands were made for them to come down, but the court was told that they refused to budge.
Reportedly when the police went up to get them down, they began to kick the officers. They were subsequently detained and taken to the station where they were arrested and charged.
However, when giving his version of the events, Grant said the officers arrived on the scene and pepper-sprayed inside the building. He recounted hearing a gunshot and said that the officers later entered the business. When an officer cranked his gun, they immediately came down from the roof.
According to Grant, one officer came up to him and started to punch him in the face with brass knuckles. He said he sustained injuries to his face, including a fractured nose and blood clot and had to be treated at the hospital, which was confirmed by a medical report detailing his injuries. The 24-year-old Parham man sustained blunt force trauma to his right eye and nose.
Based on the medical report, Magistrate Wason dismissed the battery and resisting arrest charges against Grant and Miller.
Grant, who is known to the court and was previously convicted for resisting arrest and having an offensive weapon, told the court he needed a job to keep out of trouble.
“I need a nice job to uplift my family. I go to Gaston Browne but I can’t get a job. Jamaican and Spanish come and cut grass, and I can’t get a job,” he said.
Miller, a landscaper, said that he too has been looking for work but has been unsuccessful in securing a job.
He also has a previous conviction and served one year in prison in 2018.
Considering this incident the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda continues to urge business owners to strengthen their security measures through the installation of surveillance cameras and alarms while encouraging “the public to report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station or by calling 911”.
