Judge Rules Police Used Excessive Force On Handcuffed Man

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A supreme court judge has ruled that police used excessive force against a handcuffed Grand Bahama man who suffered serious internal injuries while in custody.

Justice Constance Delancy found that Phillip Wallace’s constitutional right to protection from degrading treatment was violated following his arrest at a bar in Eight-Mile-Rock in January 2022.

Wallace alleged that he was struck in the stomach inside a police vehicle and thrown to the ground at the police station while handcuffed.

He later required emergency surgery for abdominal injuries.

During the trial, Constable Danero Miller admitted to elbowing Wallace and using a non-standard manoeuvre to throw him to the ground.

The court also heard that Miller faced disciplinary proceedings over the incident and was found guilty before the police disciplinary tribunal.

He was fined, demoted and stripped of his seniority.

Wallace was awarded costs and is entitled to damages.

A supreme court registrar will determine how much money he receives.