An accused murderer say police threatened to kill him if he didn’t confess.
Prince Charlton, declared his innocence from an unsworn statement in the witness dock.
Now, right off the bat, if the fellow will not swear under oath, why should anyone believe a thing he says.
What a ridiculous concept, to allow people to testify without swearing under oath. What a dysfunctional legal sytem to allow such nonsense.
Charlton is accused of beating James Carney to death back in November, 2010.
Prosecutors say that Charlton beat Mr Carney in the head with a brick, then dumped his body in an outside toilet in Matthew Town, Inagua.
In Charlton’s unsworn statement, he claimed that police beat him and threatened to kill him if he did not confess.
He told the court he was frightened, “that’s the day I thought I was going to die.”
In between sobs, Charlton claimed that one of the officers said he was known as “The Crippler”.
If Charlton speaks the truth, it is a damning indictment of the Bahamas Police Force, which has been accused of brutality all too often.
But then, the man is accused of murder and one might believe he would say anything to get off.
With so many stupid judges in The Bahamas, it is likely that the man’s accusations will be believed by a judge, whether they are true or not.
Why police do not videotape police interviews is beyond comprehension. It would take a $300 camcorder and no talent whatosever to tape every police interview.
Since the police are so adamant about not videotaping interviews one can only assume that they are hiding something.
Which is why a judge, not even a stupid one, may very well believe the man, and at least let him go free on bail.
