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Casebrief (Flemming V Myers)
Casebrief (Flemming V Myers)
Myers et al
Facts:
On October 10, 1978 the appellant was taken into custody at the Hope
Bay Police Station on the instructions of Detective Corporal Myers who
had been conducting investigations into the murder of one Calvin
Wilson. The appellant was then asked why he had killed ‘the man’ at
Shrewsbury but he denied any participation in such a crime. He was
then told that he was being arrested and on the same day was
transferred to the Buff Bay Police Station. He remained there until
October 23, 1978 when he was taken before the Resident Magistrate’s
Court for the first time. During this two-week period he was beaten on
the soles of both feet by the police using a stone hammer and suffered
other ill-treatment causing him to seek medical attention at the Kingston
Public Hospital on two occasions in 1979.
The appellant was remanded into custody after appearing before the
Magistrate and was finally discharged on February 9, 1979 after a
preliminary hearing into the charge of murder was held.
Held:
2) Was there any reasonable or probable cause for detaining the appellant
over the period from the 10th October to 23rd October? (NO)
Holding:
Reasoning:
Ratio:
The detention of a citizen by an arm of the state i.e. the police force,
without reasonable or probable cause for so doing, is indeed an act
which the Court ought to view as a serious breach of the citizen’s right to
liberty and one which amounts to liability for false imprisonment.
In evaluating the test of reasonable and probable cause for the purpose
of malicious prosecution, it is the act of prosecuting and not of
imprisoning or detaining, as in false imprisonment, which must have
been done without reasonable or probable cause.
Policy: