A police officer reportedly slapped a woman repeatedly in the presence of her children, because she swore, then arrested and charged her for the offensive words.
Ashieka Lyttle, 25, of New Montrose was granted EC$3,000 bail at the Central Police Station in Kingstown on Saturday after being arrested.
She was charged that on Saturday, Aug. 11, at Kingstown, she assaulted police Constable 720 Delroy Williams, he being a police officer acting in the due execution of his duty.
Lyttle was further charged that on the same date and place, she made use of indecent language to Williams, to wit, ‘Way the f**k does do you, even if you lock me up and carry me court yuh can’t win me”.
The third charge was that on the same date and place, she resisted the arrest of PC Williams, he being a police officer acting in the due execution of his duty.
She is scheduled to appear before the Kingstown Magistrate Court on Monday to answer the charges.
A video has emerged on social media showing a police officer forcibly taking a woman, who is holding a baby, in the direction of the Central Police Station in Kingstown.
Lyttle told iWitness News on Sunday that the video is part of the altercation between she and the police officer, and that she is the woman in the video.
Lyttle told iWitness News that she, her daughter, her 2-year-old son, along with one of her friends and her friend’s children went to the Frisko ice cream parlour on Bay Street, Kingstown sometime after 8 p.m. Saturday.
“When I was choosing the ice cream — kids would always take a while before they pick what they want. So, the little boy took a while and the ice cream I wanted had one scoop.
“So, I turned to the lady and said, lemme see what flavour ice-cream is gonna go well with that. So, I was taking a while. Two officers walked up there, went straight to the glass of the parlour to purchase.
“So, I turned to the officer, I said, excuse me, please. The officers refusing to move. I stand exactly behind the both of them now and said, ‘Excuse me, please.’”
Lyttle said she continued her order after the officer moved.
She said that the server was also helping her to pick a flavour of ice-cream to compliment the one for which there was just one scoop remaining.
“This is one of the officer’s statement now. ‘Is wha? Is wha?’ If I can’t hurry up. So, I turned to the officer, I said, ‘I am a f**king customer. You can’t stop me. It is my turn and I can take as long as I f**king please.
“Well, the officer turned to me and, ‘Miss, conduct yourself in a manner and watch your language. Respect the uniform.’”
Lyttle said she did not respond, but as she was leaving the parlour, she said:
“Imagine you can’t talk in this f**king country no more for your free will.’”
She said that this is when the officer began to get physical with her.
“He took it up on himself and come and grabbled my dress by the tail and scuffled it up so it got way above my bottom…
“When I turned around now — because I had my daughter in my hand, when I turned around to ask, ‘Officer what is all this about?’ By the time I swing around to ask him that, [he] put a slap in my face, causing that slap to hit my 10-month-old baby.
“She started to scream and cry. So, I tapped him in his chest asking him what is all this about. He buss two more slap on top of me and start tugging. My little boy which is 2 years old throw away the ice cream and started to hit the officer.”
Lyttle said that the officer dragged her from the parlour and she fell in the road.
“When I fell in the road, this man still holding on on top of me. When people started coming around and saying no, officer, you can’t treat the woman so, somebody even come and say, officer that is my sister. “
She said that she was calling her friend telling her to come and hold the baby, but the officer was pushing the friend away.
“After I got in the barracks, after all that slap he pass on me outside, when I reach into the barracks, I had my child in all this tabanca (emotional distress). When I reach in the barracks, he pushed me onto the bench with force. I dropped back, hit my back and head that they have on the concrete structure that they have behind the bench.”
She said she stood up and asked the officer what was the reason for all of what he had done.
“By the time I asked him, I received two slap inside of my face again.”
The woman said she never knew the officer from before the incident.
She said that she was left with a busted lip from the incident and will see her physician on Monday.
Lyttle told iWitness News that counsel Grant Connell will represent her in court.
No discipline for the officer, they will try put charges on her to protect him but she burst own mouth.
WORDS AND BLOWS
That which has been reported as the account of the young woman, saw
the playing out of the cliche ‘…Word is kind and blows unkind.’
Two wrongs, however, would never make a right.
Not only that, ‘…discourtesy; disrespect; …rudeness and reckless’
are dangerous combinations. They often lead to unnecessary problems.
Clearly, the conduct appeared starved of ‘…discipline, courtesy and respect.’
Though she is facing prosecution, she could still institute civil proceedings
against the officers for ‘…Assault and Battery.’
Young ladies refine your language.
Though the rule of law shall prevail,officers shall also be ‘…sensitive, patient
and cheerful and obliging.’
its possible she may be able to bring assault charges against this officer for the alleged slap …..I always wonder that if individuals giving these recounts of their stories to the press if they are aware they can hurt their case by doing so.
some of these officers only have strength for weak helpless women ……they need to go and look for the murderers and gunmen out there robbing and causing mayhem in the country.
you arresting someone with a baby in hand because your feelings got hurt after you disrespected the citizen and cut the line in-front of her . smh,
The pm better get something good to say about his she wrong to be bad words. But come on officer she had her child when u slapped her your hand could have hurt the child more an the mother
The police should get his behind kicked.locking people up for saying a word where they themselves be using.If that police did hit my girlfriend for saying the f word they will have to jail me for kicking his SS
The fact that this incident has already received 211 comments on IWN’s Facebook page speaks volumes to the unhealthy preoccupation of our people with violence, the bloodier the better and if between males and females better still.
Given the gutter and roadside mentality of so many of our people, no wonder the Comrade has won four in a row.
Commess, boderation, melee, bachanal and other bad things are the heart and soul of our deeply trouble “Caribbean civilization.”
These police in vincy is something else, but they will hit the wrong person one day. I only sorry the girl is not my sister. and although the girl is not my sister, if i was there he couldn’t have slap that girl infront of me and am very serious about it. i sorry it wasn’t in tortola he hit that girl.
Yes that policeman love beat woman. Look how he beat that ladies up,,sham on you ,,you wanna beater,,,
I don’t know who you are madam i felt your plight and the excessive force that officer injected upon you. This officer need to be suspended without pay . No one needed to be treated in this sort of manner in the presence of their child or children. I do hope justice would be granted in this young lady favor.
I second that!!! She was using indecent language, not abusive to anyone. The officer became spiteful because she called him to account for jumping the line and standing up for herself. He actually assaulted her with his method of arrest, and she should bring charges against him.
This officer seems to be a ruthless person. He should have been discipline or stripped from his uniform. His behavior more or less like an animal. Someone who is civerlise doesn’t acted in this unprofessional manner . Officer you are there to serve and protect not to abused your power of authority. A clear reminder to all officers the common badges and uniform given to you guys is the tax payers monies of SVG . That so call ruthless officer you have an obligation to serve your country in a professional manner .
admin. wsup with the delays in posting comments in particular mines . is there a bias here ….only asking
they ony post c ben david comments no matter how negative or positive they are, maybe he has shares in iwitness news
yes they are bias
heavily (but maybe IWN doesn’t realize it.)
Sometimes some people dont even know how to act smart,as wrong as the Police may be, remember there are always 3 sides to a story his side, her side and the truth. She should have just walk to the sation with the Police after it was apparent that her children were at risk especially her baby and then seek redress at a later time. I am in no way condoning the alleged misconduct of the police but this owman is clearly disrespectful to herself, her children, the public at large and to the Police even though they may have jumped the line the sever in the icecream parlour should not have served them unless its a clear police for uniform officers to get preference over other patrons.
This is where the truth is determined because the other persons presnt version of the story comes into play. the biggest concern for me here is the safety of the baby and no matter how grave a crime may be safety of everyone involved is paramount especially where minors are involved. and if the police slap up this woman so profusely he should not be speared whether it maybe be internal diciplinary tribunal or the courts for thay matter