May 7, 2025
WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — The Crown has ended its case in the trial of the three cops charged with the incident in which Mario Deane was fatally beaten while in police custody in 2014.
The revelation was made when the three accused made an appearance in the Westmoreland Circuit Court today.
The three are Corporal Elaine Stewart and constables Marlon Grant and Juliana Clevon, all of whom are charged with manslaughter and misconduct in a public office.
The ending of the Crown’s presentation of witnesses has paved the way for the defence team to commence its presentation of witnesses.
However, the defence has asked Supreme Court Judge Justice Courtney Daye for an adjournment until tomorrow at 9:00 am when at that time, the team is expected to make a submission to the court or a brief summary of its case.
The allegations in the case are that Deane was arrested for possession of a ganja spliff and placed in custody, where he was brutally beaten on August 3, 2014. He sustained severe injuries to his brain, which left him in a coma. He died three days later at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James.
It is alleged that the three cops were on duty at the police station when Deane was beaten. It is further alleged that Stewart, who has an additional charge of perverting the course of justice, instructed that the cell in which the attack took place be cleaned before the arrival of investigators from the Independent Commission of Investigations.
— Anthony Lewis