Jamaican Police.Com

Special Corporal Leonard Nelson was yesterday sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for inflicting grievous bodily harm. He was convicted earlier this week by a jury which found him guilty of attacking taxi operator Kevin Dower in an incident that took place at the Norman Manley International Airport and left Dower blind in one eye.

At the trial, Government Prosecutors led evidence that on August 27, 2005, Mr. Dower had gone to the airport to pick up two children who were coming from abroad. The flight was delayed for several hours and he went into a restricted area to search for the children. Nelson accosted him and told him that he was in a restricted area and was going to arrest him.

Dower tried to explain to Nelson that he was searching for the children, but Nelson would not listen and grabbed Dower at the waist and proceeded to take him to the police station. He told Nelson he was suffering discomfort because of the manner in which he was being held and Nelson proceeded to use his baton to strike Dower in the face. Dower’s right eye was smashed and he was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital where the eye was removed during surgery.

Corporal Nelson, who had 25 years’ service in the police force, told the court that Mr. Dower was using indecent language and that he hit him with the baton to subdue him during a struggle.

A Home Circuit Court jury convicted him on Tuesday of inflicting grievous bodily harm, and acting Justice Martin Gayle put off sentencing until yesterday. The judge said he would have sent Nelson to prison for seven years, but he took into account the character evidence which was given on Nelson’s behalf.

Tags : blind, imprisonment, police abuse, police jailed, policeman sentenced, special corporal