By Breaking Belize News Staff: Police officer Phillip Garbutt, who had charges withdrawn against him after he was caught on camera abusing his common-law wife and her 8-year-old son, is not out of the woods yet as he is set to face an internal police tribunal relating to his conduct on the now viral footage posted by Breaking Belize News (BBN).
Speaking to BBN, Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs & Enterprise Elton Bennett said: “I saw a very disturbing video, a very disappointing one for a member of the Belize Police Department.”
“It’s very unfortunate that it was thrown out of the courts. I only wish that such cases would have been able to be prosecuted to the full extent. It leaves us now at the Belize Police Department and the Ministry of Home Affairs & Enterprise to take further action because this conduct is certainly not one that we expect of our police officers. You cannot serve the Belizean people; you cannot serve in the Belize Police Department with such behavior. So I have already had a discussion with the Commissioner of Police and he will be following suit to ensure that we do due process in ensuring that we bring this individual into some form of tribunal or disciplinary process because that behavior, that conduct is certainly one that is unbecoming to the extent of not serving in the Belize Police Department.
Not because it was thrown out of the courts means there’s not the internal disciplinary process. That process will follow through and we will ensure that we do our best to bring a reasonable disciplinary case against this individual,” Bennett told BBN.
We also asked whether or not it was time to review the current laws to ensure that victims such as minors, who are not legally able to make such decision as withdrawing charges against their abusers, are protected by the state.
“I thought perhaps we need to take a look at our laws to see how the state can take up that responsibility to defend, not only the minor, but perhaps the victim as well, who may very well be living under a distress situation; that the state must have a responsibility here in protecting its citizens so indeed I’m questioning the process in terms of reviewing our laws as we speak to ensure that we can do more and the burden is not just left on the victim to go through this very difficult time of abuse and then having to face that perpetrator…so I do believe that the state has a responsibility here.”
The post Police CEO says Phillip Garbutt to face disciplinary action following viral video showing abuse of wife and 8-year-old step-son appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Police officer Phillip Garbutt, who had charges withdrawn against him after he was caught on camera abusing his common-law wife and her 8-year-old son, is not out of the woods yet as he is set to face an internal police tribunal relating to his conduct on the now viral footage
The post Police CEO says Phillip Garbutt to face disciplinary action following viral video showing abuse of wife and 8-year-old step-son appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
