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Almost six months after he was awarded $425,000 in compensation for being framed by police on 11 criminal offences including rape, a labourer from Claxton Bay is set to receive another windfall over a separate incident involving the same group of police officers.
In 2006, Victor Hagley was arrested by officers from the St Margaret’s Police Station and charged with kidnapping, rape, serious indecency and several offences of larceny. Six years later, the charges were dismissed by a San Fernando Magistrate after the officers failed to appear in court to prosecute the case.
While the charges were still pending, Hagley was rearrested by the same group of officers and charged with cocaine possession.
He again maintained his innocence and the charges were dismissed in similar circumstances in 2014.
Hagley sued the State for malicious prosecution in both cases.
The case relating to the 11 offences was decided last December, as High Court Judge Margaret Mohammed ruled in Hagley’s favour after the State failed to file a defence.
Hagley’s lawyers Abdel and Shabaana Mohammed filed the second case in March.
On June 8, High Court Judge Frank Seepersad awarded Hagley another default judgement as the State again failed to file a defence to the police officers’ actions.
Seepersad did not immediately assess compensation for Hagley, instead, referring the issue to a High Court Master.
The next hearing of the case is on October 1.
According to the court documents filed in the second claim, on February 5, 2010, Hagley was liming at a bar in Claxton Bay when the same group of officers, who framed him four years earlier, arrived.
Although the officers searched Hagley and found nothing illegal, he was still arrested and charged for cocaine possession.
Hagley spent 45 days in remand prison before he was able to access his bail and reappeared 20 times before the case was eventually dismissed in March 2014.
In his claim, Hagley is claiming he suffered stress and embarrassment from his second arrest in less than five years.
He also claims that he remains fearful of being targeted and framed by the officers for a third time.
Guardian Media understands that while he filed the civil claims, Hagley also reported the officers’ conduct to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).