Police Inspector Charged with Wounding a Detainee

An inspector of police has been criminally charged for wounding a man who was detained at police station outside of his jurisdiction. Inspector Christopher Martinez, the Head of Special Patrol Unit in Belize City, was charged after twenty-nine-year-old, Aaron Flowers alleged that Martinez beat him in the head with a pair of handcuffs. Flowers, who Martinez also accuses of assault, has also been charged with common assault. Flowers was the first to be arraigned this morning. The allegation is that on Thursday, while he was detained at the Ladyville Police Station, he assaulted Martinez. Flowers pleaded not guilty and met bail of three hundred dollars. Late this evening, Martinez was arraigned. The forty-five-year-old inspector pleaded not guilty and met bail of fifteen hundred dollars, plus one surety of the same amount. He is due back in court on August ninth. Reports are that Flowers, a resident of the Lords Banks, was treated at the K.H.M.H. for injuries he sustained, allegedly whist in custody at the Ladyville Police Station. Martinez, on the other hand, has made allegations that Flowers had fired shots at his house. The Flowers family has since sought legal assistance from a lawyer. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams appeared on Channel Five’s Open Your Eyes morning show and condemned the incident.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“With what happened over the weekend, I must say I condemn it to the strongest term, because once a person is in the custody of the police no police officer have any right to go into a cell block or a police station and cause harm to a person detained by the police. What is the need for it? And the extent to which the person was injured makes it even worst. I saw the photos on social media with the man head and it is distasteful. I have since directed we conduct a criminal and internal investigation in that matter. I can tell you the police officer was charged yesterday for wounding and he will be appearing in court either today or tomorrow. But, that kind of behavior we are not going to countenance. We cannot live in a society where police believe they have so much powers that they believe they can just do what they want with the ordinary people. It is not going to fly with us.”