Accused in alleged lock-up beatdown freed

Four men, one of whom is charged in the kidnapping and murder of Toshyna Patterson and her 10-month-old daughter, Sarayah Paulwell, were on Monday discharged on a separate charge in another matter.

Roland Balfour, Deamo Lewis, Demario Cadwell and Donovan Callender were discharged from the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court with a formal verdict of not guilty on an indictment for unlawful wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The charges stem from an incident at the Kingston Central lock-ups on March 8, where the complainant was taken into custody, on suspicion of obstructing the police at a crime scene.

Allegations detail that the complainant was placed in a cell with the four men and a commotion was heard shortly after. An alarm was made and the police ran to the cell, where the complainant was seen bleeding from the right side of his head. He alleged that he was beaten with a full, two-litre bottle of water by the four men, who also kicked him all over his body. However, since the matter was first mentioned in May, the complainant has not attended court. Efforts by the investigator and the prosecutor to have the complainant attend court have proven futile. The Crown therefore offered no evidence against the men due to the unavailability of the complainant.

But the men remain in custody as they have other pending matters before the court. Balfour, 31, is in custody awaiting his next court date in the Home Circuit Court for the case involving Patterson and Sarayah, the daughter of politician Phillip Paulwell. Lewis, 22, is charged with breaching the Anti-Gang Legislation, as he is accused of being a member of the Umbrella Gang. Cadwell, 35, is before the court for having sex with a person under 16, while Callender is charged with murder.

- T.T.