Ian and Mike Melle
say that they were aggressed by law enforcement officers in Roche Caiman on
Friday night. The police however affirm that their injuries were self
inflicted.
There are always two
sides to every story. This saying is particularly appropriate when it comes to
the altercation involving Ian and Mike Melle and the police last Friday night
near Fresh Cut at Roche Caiman. The two brothers accuse the latter of having brutalised
and sprayed them with tear gas for no reason before imprisoning them for the
night. The authorities, on the other hand, affirm that the siblings were
fighting when they were “spotted by police on patrol who intervened to arrest
them”. In addition, police spokesperson, Jean Toussaint, told this newspaper
that, “no official brutality or assault reports have been formally registered
to the police by any of the two men”. For their mother, Eunice, however, it’s a
case of the police abusing their authority.
As Ian, a 26 year-old
cook from Roche Caiman, recounts the story, his brother and him were simply
walking to the shops when the trouble started. According to him, the events
unfolded between 9.30pm and 10.00pm when the siblings were intercepted by a red
Terios. “The officers asked us what we were doing and wanted to handcuff us”,
alleges Ian Melle. And when they resisted, they copped a face full of tear gas,
he avers. Despite this, he continued to struggle against the officers who
wanted to bundle him aboard the Terios. After having cuffed one of his hands,
the police then proceeded to push him to the ground before “hitting me on my
back and arms”, he says, displaying numerous bruises and scratches on his neck,
arms and back to drive his point home, Eunice Melle avers that her other son,
Mike, was hit in the face.
The police however
affirm that, “during the process, Ian assaulted a constable in the face and
damaged his glasses”. The marks on their bodies were inflicted during the
altercation between the two brothers, Mr Toussaint states: “The police reported
that as a result of the fight between Ian and Mike, a cut was observed on
Mike’s lips while Ian had scratches on his neck. They were both under either
the influence of alcohol or drugs”. A second patrol car came to assist the
first one and the brothers were transported to Mont Fleuri police station (Mike
was later taken to Central). Ian even alleges that he was sprayed again with
tear gas in his cell later that night. The brothers were released the next
morning after having been charged with “affray, damaging property and assault
on police officer”.
Ian admits that Mike and himself had perhaps been speaking
loudly, as brothers are wont to do, and had had a drink or two, but is adamant
that the reaction of the authorities was completely unwarranted. He has been
“depressed” since the incident. “All this because two kids were talking”, she
states. For his part, Mr Toussaint reiterates that the police have an “Internal
Affairs Bureau to investigate public complaints against members of the force”.
Source: Today
