By Breaking Belize News Staff: A police officer is out on bail after being charged in connection with a domestic dispute that allegedly left his common-law wife wounded and her 8-year-old son injured.
Thirty-nine-year-old PC #2038 Phillip Garbutt, a police officer attached to the Traffic Support Unit, was escorted to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court shortly after 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.
By mid-morning, Garbutt was taken into Court #2, where he was read three criminal charges: aggravated assault, wounding his common-law wife, and harm to an 8-year-old boy.
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, was reportedly captured on home surveillance footage. The matter proceeded to court after the complainant requested court action.
Despite the allegations, PC Garbutt pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
There was no objection to bail, and the Senior Magistrate granted him bail in the sum of $2,000 plus one surety of the same amount.
As part of his bail conditions, Garbutt must not contact any prosecution witnesses and must stay at least 25 feet away from the virtual complainant.
He is scheduled to return to court on April 16, 2026.
Police report that on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at approximately 3:39 p.m., Gender-Based Violence personnel responded to a report on Watermelon Street, where they met a 38-year-old caretaker.
The woman reported that around 2:45 p.m., she was at home cleaning meat when her common-law husband, Phillip Garbutt, approached her and confronted her about black dirt in the kitchen.
According to the complainant, Garbutt became upset and began choking her. She alleged that he then punched her to the head, face, and mouth, causing pain and a burst upper lip.
Shortly afterward, her 8-year-old son reportedly came to her defense with an iron bat. The complainant stated that Garbutt grabbed the bat from the child and slapped him twice.
She further alleged that when she tried to defend her son, Garbutt slapped her twice to the side of her head.
According to the report, Garbutt then went into his room briefly before returning and pointing the iron bat at her face, telling her, “If yuh call anybody fi come yah, I wah stab they up.”
The complainant contacted police, who arrived shortly thereafter and escorted the couple to the Gender-Based Violence Unit, where an official report was made.
Medical legal forms were issued to both the woman and her son. A doctor later classified the woman’s injuries as wounding, while the child’s injuries were classified as harm. The boy reportedly complained of pain to his eyes.
The matter is set to continue before the court in April.
The post Cop caught on camera beating wife allegedly over black dirt in kitchen and 8-year-old son who attacked with bat to save his mom appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: A police officer is out on bail after being charged in connection with a domestic dispute that allegedly left his common-law wife wounded and her 8-year-old son injured. Thirty-nine-year-old PC #2038 Phillip Garbutt, a police officer attached to the Traffic Support Unit, was escorted to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court
The post Cop caught on camera beating wife allegedly over black dirt in kitchen and 8-year-old son who attacked with bat to save his mom appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
