Coopers Pen residents to take legal action against the State

 

As the fallout over the demolition of homes in Coopers Pen, Trelawny continues, the residents are to bring legal action against the State, accusing it of breaching their constitutional rights. 

 

Lead attorney Donovan Collins told Radio Jamaica News that he intends to bring legal action against the State and the Police High Command over what he insists was the illegal detention of more than a dozen men prior to the demolition exercise early Tuesday morning. 

 

The lawsuit will be filed in the Supreme Court on Friday. 

 

"We have instructions to file the claims against the State for false imprisonment and other breaches of the men's constitutional rights. So, certainly, we will be filing the claims by the latest tomorrow," declared the attorney. 

 

"Now, we are saddened that this happened in the parish of Trelawny and we hope that this will not repeat itself. And we hope that the government will look at the laws of Jamaica and to amend or change laws where it is necessary to ensure that history does not repeat itself. We can't have persons coming to demolish buildings at 3 a.m. in the morning and, to make matters worse, you are going to lock up citizens of this country for no reason at all just to ensure that persons could demolish people's buildings," he complained.

 

The residents had contended that members of the security forces invaded the community in the wee hours of the morning and arrested most of the men before the demolition team entered the community. 

 

The police said the men were detained for processing and later released. 

 

More than 20 homes were destroyed in the exercise which has sparked public outrage and left more than 40 families displaced.