Lawyer Brenda Brooks said on Tuesday that her client is also denying that he resisted arrest. Brooks expects her client to be arraigned today, Wednesday. Up to yesterday afternoon she was still awaiting her client's files and said she had been unaware as to what he was up against.

 

"I am representing him indeed and I have not seen any charges as yet, at least not officially. The arraignment did not take place as yet. I expect it's going to happen tomorrow [today, ed.]. Because of the system here we don't get ample time to really plan these things. In certain cases, you would be informed at the end of the afternoon for the next morning. But a lot is done last minute. Sometimes you are contacted in the morning when they are going to collect the suspect and there is very little space for planning," Brooks said.

 

"Right now I haven't seen any documents. I haven't even seen the first interrogation, but I understand that he is denying the involvement," said Brooks. "Without a file it's hard to say anything. ... This morning [Tuesday, ed.] I submitted my letter indicating that I am representing him and requested the possibility to see the file."

 

Brooks said she had instructed her client not to say anything, because she is unaware of what he is up against. "That's the instruction that I gave to him and that's a standard instruction. And at the end of the day everyone has rights to a defence. Police did an interview with him and I understand that he is denying involvement."

 

Brooks added that her client was denying having resisted arrest and was alleging police brutality. "I understood that he was beaten by the police. I also read that the Police [Force, ed.] is saying that he resisted arrest. Regarding his being beaten, the physical evidence is there. He got some stitches in his head and he said he was stomped [on, ed.] in his face and [his, ed.] left ear was swollen and he received some licks to the body as well. There are signs," she said.

The police had said that the suspect had heavily resisted arrest on Sunday when they went to detain him in the Cay Bay area.

He was booked at 1:00pm on Sunday and his arraignment should take place by 1:00pm today, Wednesday.

 

Brenda Brooks is an attorney at law and owner of law firm Brooks & Associates on Sint Maarten. She specializes in among others Criminal Law.