After Sumfest arrest...Dancer threatens to sue police

After Sumfest arrest ...

Dancer

threatens to

sue police

After being escorted out of the Reggae Sumfest venue last Friday Night, dancer Marvin the Beast says his lawyer is now looking into whether he has a case against the officers who arrested him.

Police last night said that the dancer was arrested on reasonable suspicions of assault, but was not charged for the offence.

Instead, after holding him for two days, the police charged Marvin with malicious destruction of property, and booked him to appear in the St James Parish Court on August 3. Up to press time last night, the Corporate Communications Unit was unable to say what gave rise to the charge of malicious destruction of property.

But according to Marvin, he had just finished performing with artistes Don Andre, Ding Dong and Chi Ching Ching, when he was approached by several police officers, who demanded that he accompany them to the police station.

"Bout 15 a dem step to me and say 'you nuh know say yuh wanted? Come wid we' ... Dem start rush me and grab me up and push me out the venue. They assaulted me. It's not like they took me aside and spoke to me about why they came for me...Them just come grab me up," he told THE STAR.

malicious destruction

Marvin, whose given name is Everton Song, was detained at the Freeport Police Station in Montego Bay, St James. He said that it was not until Saturday that he was told what the charges laid against him were.

"Them say them a charge me fi assault and fi malicious destruction of property. All a this a stem from a video months ago where I was dancing with a lady in a party and everybody start share the video. I don't even know that a report was made to the police. Right now, me feel like a rub up dem a rub up some charges against me," he said.

In May, Senior Superintendent of Police Steve McGregor, then the head of the St James police, told THE STAR that Marvin the Beast was being investigated for his alleged dangerous dancing performances at entertainment events.

Marvin, however, believes he is being unfairly targeted. "My problem is that how dem can charge someone for dancing? I was dancing with the female and she was dancing with me. It's not like I forced her to dance with me," he said.