Jamaica: The excessive court docket has handed an order to the Bahamian authorities to pay two million US {dollars} to Mathew Sewell, a Jamaican resident, who has been wrongfully held in remand since 2006.
Mathew Sewell, who arrived within the Bahamas to go to his father in 2006 was arrested by the Bahamian police upon his arrival underneath the cost of raping a minor. Mathew, on the time of arrest, was simply 18 years outdated.
Nonetheless, he was given bail in Might 2008 after staying for 2 years in jail. As every thing was getting regular, he once more received arrested within the 12 months 2009 underneath one other rape case and remained in jail for subsequent 5 years till he was given bail in 12 months 2013. Finally, each the circumstances had been then dismissed.
Simply when Sewell got here out of the jail in 2013, he was once more charged with a homicide and burglary case, and subsequently received arrested. Whereas, the court docket listening to relieved him of homicide prices because it was famous that he was in jail on the time of homicide. Though he received relieved from homicide case, he was nonetheless responsible for the housekeeping cost after which remained in jail until March 2014.
Reportedly, Sewell has been issued a number of discharged certificates however nonetheless he received arrested a month later and transferred to a detention centre at Carmichael Street.
Notably, when Sewell was taken for his trial, he made large bulletins revealing that he was overwhelmed and raped by the police authorities whereas in jail. Sewell additional revealed that he was barely given any time outside and needed to sleep on concrete and defecate in a bucket or a bread bag.
He criticised not simply the cops, however acknowledged that he was overwhelmed and raped by many different together with, jail officers, prisoners and defence pressure officers.
After a protracted setback, Sewell final week in a court docket listening to was discovered harmless as no proof or witness was discovered in opposition to him. The supreme court docket’s retired justice Ruth Bowe-Darville then in his Favor acknowledged that, “earlier than the accused’s main arrest, he was an 18-year-old younger little one of excellent character, after which he discovered himself in unfamiliar environment dealing with unimaginable odds.”
It was additionally famous that Sewell’s accidents had been Incontrovertible whereas emphasizing that he suffered a number of injuries together with facial accidents, a number of facial fractures, everlasting scarring to the face, leg accidents and severe short-term meals poisoning. Reportedly, Sewell was additionally recognized with schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress dysfunction.
He has been awarded a US $378000 for his future care, US $14488172 for psychiatric and psychological damages, US $250000 for malicious prosecution, US $120000 as constitutional rights to Sewell. Completely, he was awarded US $2,011,578,38.
