BELMOPAN, Belize– Four police officers, including an inspector, is due to return to court on September 13 on a charge of manslaughter arising out of the death of 20-year-old Derrick Uh, who had been detained by law enforcement authorities last weekend for allegedly touching a woman inappropriately.
Uh, attending the famous San Joaquin Festival on Sunday night, was placed inside a police prison van and left unattended for over 12 hours before he was discovered dead.
Inspector Isaias Sanchez, Sergeant Rosario Romero, and police constables Errol Peralta and Alrick Borland were brought to the court under heavy police guard late Thursday.
The media was not allowed to enter the courtroom as police officers kept reporters at a distance, and no plea was taken. Following submissions by their lawyers, the men were granted bail of BDZ$10,000 (One Belize dollar=US$0.49 cents) each.
Attorney Norman Rodriguez, representing Peralta, later told reporters, “it’s the usual preceding. You are brought to court if you’re charged with a crime. You are arraigned, then read the charge, and a plea is taken, but because this one is indictable, no plea was taken”.
He said that there was no objection to bail.
“It was the same across the board for all four officers. The court was minded to grant bail that the defendant had to produce a house paper, house lot, or some document related to property. We made further submissions, and the court considered those submissions, giving them signed bails.
“They need to surrender their documents. They are not to apply for any other documents without the court’s permission. They are not to leave the country without permission and must sign in every Monday between six a.m. and nine a.m. at the Corozal Police Station.”
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Belize (HRCB) calls on the Belize Police Department to improve and enforce disciplinary measures.
In a statement, the HRCB said the circumstances surrounding the death of Uh are incredulous and a travesty.
“While the Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has indicated that the department will ensure a full and thorough investigation into the matter, we call on the government to look into more severe punishments for law enforcement officers who are found culpable of gross negligence and breach. Of protocols.”
The human rights group said that the damages to victims or their families should be the officers’ liability to contribute to the cost.
Home Affairs Minister, Kareem Musa, has already described the incident that led to Uh’s death as “indeed an unthinkable travesty, something that none of us could ever fathom could take place and a series of missteps and mishaps that have resulted in this heinous tragedy.
“We will ensure that this is a thorough, comprehensive, and fully transparent investigation into what I have to categorize as a wrongful death instance. Up to this time, there is nothing to suggest that there was any intentionally killing of Derrick Uh,” he added.
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