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'Livity' Beating Probe Draws To A Close
Published: Sunday | May 19, 2013 0 Comments
Leighton 'Livity' Coke
The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) says it is far advanced in its investigations into claims by Leighton 'Livity' Coke that he was beaten almost lifeless by soldiers at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre on Spanish Town Road in Kingston in February 2012.
INDECOM is also far advanced in its probe into allegations by reputed gang leaders Christopher 'Dog Paw' Linton, Tesha Miller and others that they were also beaten by soldiers and correctional officers while being held at Security Post 11 inside the remand centre.
"Several of them made that claim, and as part of that investigation we viewed footage from the CCTV (closed-circuit television) and it should be with the commissioner (of INDECOM) now," said Nigel Morgan, director of complaints at INDECOM.
"It is about five of them who claim they were beaten within a one-month period," added Morgan.
He said INDECOM's investigation has been slow because the agency, set up three years ago to investigate allegations against members of the security forces, lacks the manpower to deal with all the demands it faces.
$16m budget
INDECOM has been granted an additional $16 million in its budgetary allocation for this fiscal year, and that money is to be used to hire more investigators.
Livity, the brother of extradited drug lord Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, was freed of shooting charges last year, but while he was in custody he claimed he came close to death at the hands of soldiers who said they were given instructions to take him out.
Medical doctor Jephthah Ford provided The Sunday Gleaner with pictures of an injured Livity.
"At the left side of his head, he had three large lacerations. The first one - frontal - was four centimetres long, the second one was six centimetres long, and a more posterior one was eight centimetres long.
"He has a laceration to the back of his chest, on the left. It was eight centimetres long. He had multiple abrasions over the side of the ribs. He had multiple haematoma over the right side of his arm ... . His left knee was stiff, bruised, and there was blood in it," claimed Ford.
The prison authorities have claimed that Livity initiated the confrontation which took place in a stairwell, which is one of the few sections in Security Post 11 not monitored by closed-circuit televisions.
arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com
Published: Sunday | May 19, 2013 0 Comments
Leighton 'Livity' Coke
The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) says it is far advanced in its investigations into claims by Leighton 'Livity' Coke that he was beaten almost lifeless by soldiers at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre on Spanish Town Road in Kingston in February 2012.
INDECOM is also far advanced in its probe into allegations by reputed gang leaders Christopher 'Dog Paw' Linton, Tesha Miller and others that they were also beaten by soldiers and correctional officers while being held at Security Post 11 inside the remand centre.
"Several of them made that claim, and as part of that investigation we viewed footage from the CCTV (closed-circuit television) and it should be with the commissioner (of INDECOM) now," said Nigel Morgan, director of complaints at INDECOM.
"It is about five of them who claim they were beaten within a one-month period," added Morgan.
He said INDECOM's investigation has been slow because the agency, set up three years ago to investigate allegations against members of the security forces, lacks the manpower to deal with all the demands it faces.
$16m budget
INDECOM has been granted an additional $16 million in its budgetary allocation for this fiscal year, and that money is to be used to hire more investigators.
Livity, the brother of extradited drug lord Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, was freed of shooting charges last year, but while he was in custody he claimed he came close to death at the hands of soldiers who said they were given instructions to take him out.
Medical doctor Jephthah Ford provided The Sunday Gleaner with pictures of an injured Livity.
"At the left side of his head, he had three large lacerations. The first one - frontal - was four centimetres long, the second one was six centimetres long, and a more posterior one was eight centimetres long.
"He has a laceration to the back of his chest, on the left. It was eight centimetres long. He had multiple abrasions over the side of the ribs. He had multiple haematoma over the right side of his arm ... . His left knee was stiff, bruised, and there was blood in it," claimed Ford.
The prison authorities have claimed that Livity initiated the confrontation which took place in a stairwell, which is one of the few sections in Security Post 11 not monitored by closed-circuit televisions.
arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com
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