Case halted against cops who allegedly recorded and forced couple to continue having sex due to unforeseen court proceedings

Posted: Sunday, June 8, 2025. 8:30 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: An unusual turn of events disrupted the scheduled trial of three Belize police officers accused of willful oppression in a 2020 incident involving a couple in an abandoned house. The case, which garnered public attention, was abruptly aborted in the courtroom of Justice Candace Nanton on Thursday due to multiple unforeseen issues.

A nine-member jury, comprising five women and four men, was empaneled to hear charges against Officers Leslie Martinez, 43, Jason Shaw, 51, and Anthony Villamil. The officers, all currently on interdiction, faced allegations of publicly humiliating a couple by recording their private activity and allegedly forcing them to continue having sex in an abandoned structure.

Before trial could begin with the prosecution presenting its opening statement and calling witnesses, the Crown announced the withdrawal of charges against Officer Villamil, leaving only Shaw and Martinez as defendants. This sudden change raised questions about whether Villamil would testify against his colleagues, as he had previously provided a statement implicating the other two officers.

Then, three jurors had to be excused from service. The first, a male juror, was excused for personal reasons, reducing the panel to eight. Later, two female jurors disclosed personal connections to the defence attorney, Leeroy Banner, one from his village and another a friend. Their disclosures prompted the court to dismiss them, leaving only six jurors remaining.

With insufficient jurors to proceed fairly, Judge Nanton was compelled to abort the trial and dismiss the remaining jurors. She scheduled a new trial date for October 20, when a fresh panel of jurors will be empaneled to hear the case against Shaw and Martinez only.

The incident that led to the charges took place on April 5, 2020, in Belize City, with the officers accused of abusing their authority during the incident. All three pleaded not guilty during Monday’s arraignment, and the trial was expected to last five days, with nine witnesses scheduled to testify, including the alleged victims.

The Crown has yet to decide if Villamil will be called as a witness, as he remains an accused individual after his statement implicating the other officers.

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The post Case halted against cops who allegedly recorded and forced couple to continue having sex due to unforeseen court proceedings appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.

Posted: Sunday, June 8, 2025. 8:30 pm CST. By Aaron Humes: An unusual turn of events disrupted the scheduled trial of three Belize police officers accused
The post Case halted against cops who allegedly recorded and forced couple to continue having sex due to unforeseen court proceedings appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.