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Independence police officer remanded for sexual assault of girl, 17

HeadlineIndependence police officer remanded for sexual assault of girl, 17

INDEPENDENCE, Stann Creek District, Fri. July 17, 2020– Constable Denfield Nelson Ramos, of the Independence formation of the Police Department, has been remanded until October 8 after being charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of rape for sexually assaulting a girl, 17.

PC Ramos was arraigned yesterday, Thursday, at the Independence Magistrate’s Court by Magistrate Emerson Banner. No pleas were taken from him due to the nature of the case, and no bail was offered. He was then remanded.

Police said that on Monday afternoon, July 6, Ramos took sexual advantage of a girl, 17, in a vehicle on a side road in the Savannah area of Independence, after he had found the girl driving a vehicle although she is not the holder of a driver’s license, which is a chargeable offense.

Instead of charging the girl, however, Ramos reportedly forced her to perform oral sex on him so that she could avoid being charged.

After the ordeal in Savannah, the girl reported the abuse to her mother and they went to the police, where she made an official report.

The girl told police that on that Monday evening, while driving a vehicle on a road in Savannah, she was stopped by two policemen who asked her to present her driver’s license, and when she could not show the document, she was taken to the police station, where, she said, one of the policemen asked her what she had to give him in order to ensure that she would not face charges for the traffic offense.

She told police that the policeman took her into a remote area in Savannah, where he forced her to carry out the sexual act on him, after which he released her.

Superintendent Dwayne Sutherland, Commander of Professional Standards Branch, said that an investigation was launched into the allegation, after which the findings were sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for her perusal and directives, and also to the Commissioner of Police, and the policeman was then charged internally and criminally.

This is not the first time, however, that PC Denfield Ramos has been accused of violating the law while carrying out his duties as a police officer. In June 2017, while working as a police officer attached to the San Pedro Police Formation, he was charged with extortion, theft and aggravated assault with a firearm.

Police said that he extorted $500 USD from Timothy Braun, 28, an American national who was visiting San Pedro as a tourist.

Braun told police that he and his friends were socializing near a resort in San Pedro when three uniformed police officers approached him and accused him of smoking marijuana.

Braun said that he protested and told them he was only smoking cigarettes, but he was handcuffed, and was ordered to get onto the golf cart with them — purportedly so that he could be taken to the San Pedro Police Station to be booked for smoking cannabis.

Braun later reported to police that the officers, instead of taking him to the police station, took him to a remote area near the Barry Bowen Bridge in northern San Pedro, and ordered him out of the cart, then removed his handcuffs.

According to Braun, one of the policemen took out a firearm and placed it at his (Braun’s) head and demanded money. Braun told investigators that the officer told him that if he did not give him money, he would be killed and his body disposed of.

The visitor said that he became fearful and told them that his money was in his hotel room. He was ordered back onto the golf cart and taken to his room, where he gave them $500 USD and the three police officers shared the money in front of him.

He said that the police officers told him that if he was asked what happened, he was to say that he got drunk and the police took him home to ensure his safety. He was also warned to remain silent and that if he reported what happened, that they would come back to punish him.

Braun, however, did not remain silent. He went to the police, where he made a report, and he also went to the San Pedro Sun newspaper, and described to them what happened. He also told the Mayor and other officials of the town.

Commander of San Pedro Police, ASP Henry Jemmott, had then announced that an investigation had been launched into the allegation, and that witnesses of the incident were interviewed, security camera footage in the areas was viewed, and the description of the three police officers was confirmed. Commander Jemmott had then said that this all led to the gathering of enough evidence to convict Ramos, who was the orchestrator of the act of extortion. The other two policemen were also detained.

Ramos and the two officers were charged with the offences at the San Pedro Magistrate’s Court. One of the policemen decided to testify against them on behalf of the prosecution, in exchange for immunity.

On June 21, 2017, Ramos was charged with extortion, theft, and aggravated assault with a firearm, and was remanded, while the other two officers were charged with extortion and theft and were each released on bail of $5,000 each with 2 sureties of the same amount.

They were able to meet bail and they were released.

However, the case fell apart after the tourist whom they allegedly extorted, returned to his country and could not attend court to testify against the policemen.

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