Grenada: Four police officers charged over ‘frenzied’ 2011 death

Last updated: 22 November 2017, 3:21 pm

Officers from the Royal Grenada Police Force have been charged over the “frenzied” death of a man on Boxing Day in 2011.

Shaun Ganness, Wendell Sylvester, Ruddy Felix and Edward Gibson are accused of the manslaughter of Oscar Bartholomew.

A fifth officer, Kenton Hazzard, was found to not have been involved in the death.

The victim was allegedly beaten to death inside a police station after being arrested for hugging a female police officer.

It is understood that Bartholomew mistook the woman for a friend and gave her a “bear hug” – or hard embrace.

The incident attracted the attention of nearby police officers, who took him into custody.

The victim, who was 39, was born in Grenada but lived in Toronto. He had returned to the island during the Christmas holidays with his wife.

Christopher Nelson, Grenada’s director of public prosecution, confirmed the course of action following the conclusion of the coroner's inquest that began in 2013.

“Citizens were still looking out for justice to be done,” Nelson said in an interview with Canadian media.

“There was a perception that nothing was happening or nothing will happen, so this decision will reassure the public and the international community that our justice system is working, albeit the wheels are turning slowly.”

In 2012, Oscar’s mother, Adrianne gave an emotional interview in which she described the events that led to her son’s death.

“They beat my child to death.

“They killed my baby, my last baby. They killed him.”

Andrianne, from La Tante, St David, committed suicide in 2016. Residents in the area told local media that she was “never the same” after her son died.