Linden men say badly beaten by joint services

- - Police Say Gun, Ganja Found At Home

Two men said yesterday that they were badly beaten by joint services
ranks at their Nottinghamshire, Linden home, arrested and then released.

Police in a press release issued yesterday evening said the men were
in police custody assisting with investigations into the discovery of
an unlicensed 12-gauge shotgun and a quantity of marijuana at a house
at Nottinghamshire around 23:45 hrs on Thursday. However, when this
newspaper spoke with the men at the Linden Hospital Complex, they were
with their relatives seeking medical attention and were not under
police guard.

According to the men who chose not to reveal their identities, around
1.30 am on Thursday, they were asleep when they heard heavy banging at
the door of the house. One of the men is the occupant of the house and
other is friend of his who was spending the night.

"I got worried thinking it was thief trying fuh come into de house,"
the occupant said. His friend said he peered through the window and "I
get really confused when I see de yard full with soldiers."

They said that as the knocking continued they heard a voice say:
"police open de @#$$^@ door". But before they could have responded,
the door was kicked open, and the joint services ranks who entered
immediately dealt them several lashes about their bodies with a length
of wire.

The men said officers then forced guns into their mouths, saying they
were going to kill them if they didn't tell them what they wanted to
hear.

The beating continued, the men said as they were dragged out of the
house, down a track, through a creek and finally handcuffed and thrown
in the back of a 4x4 pick-up.

They said they were taken to the police station where the whipping
continued as they were being asked about the whereabouts of several
persons including a Jamaican. They were also asked about "ganja
farms", the men said adding that throughout the ordeal, they repeated
that they did not have any information in relation to the
questioning.

Prior to being released, the men said, they were given "a paper" and
told to take it to the hospital and return after having it signed, by
medical authorities.

"Dey tell we fuh tell de hospital that some men beat we up and dey
even tell me fuh call meh mudda and tell she dat some man beat me up."

According to the man, who was visiting the occupant of the house, one
of the officers told him that he was in the wrong place at the wrong
time.

On arriving at the hospital, the men said, they had to wait a very
long time to receive medical attention since practitioners were busy
attending to the injured soldiers from the Amelia's Ward accident.