A Royal Cayman Islands Police Inspector who was busted back to the rank of police constable last year has been reinstated, along with all back due pension and salary emoluments from mid-September.
H. Phillip Ebanks, who represented Inspector Richard Harford in a judicial review proceeding filed last year, said that his client and the department came to an agreed settlement of the case just before the judicial review proceeding was set to begin on 26 March.
Mr. Ebanks said Mr. Harford was fully reinstated based on a decision from Thursday. Emails to the RCIPS seeking comment on the matter were not immediately returned.
“It was an order arrived at by mutual consent of the parties,” Mr. Ebanks said. “He will receive all his pension benefits and back pay…the motion took place as if all this had never happened.”
The initial decision to demote Inspector Harford came after a disciplinary hearing, according to court records reviewed by the Caymanian Compass.
Mr. Harford was accused of violating two sections of the police regulations regarding conduct for officers in relation to an incident where a police service special constable was prevented from leaving the Cayman Islands.
According to the police Professional Standards Unit disciplinary charge: “[Mr. Harford] caused a stop notice to be placed on the immigration file of Mr. Altemond Rowe, a member of the special constabulary, at the Owen Roberts International Airport without there being a criminal investigation being carried out against the said Mr. Rowe.”
In addition, Mr. Harford allegedly represented that a police sergeant was investigating an offence committed by Mr. Rowe “knowing that such representation [was] false”.
According to court records, Mr. Harford denied both the charges, but was demoted as a result of the disciplinary action taken against him by the department. In seeking a judicial review of the matter, Mr. Harford claimed that there was either no evidence or insufficient evidence to support the demotion ordered by RCIPS Deputy Commissioner Steve Brougham.
“The … decision of Deputy Commissioner Brougham is irrational, unlawful and ultra vires (Latin term meaning ‘outside the law’),” the judicial review application claimed.
The judicial review document also stated that an “unlawful” decision was made by Police Commissioner David Baines to refuse to hear an application to review Mr. Brougham’s decision.
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Nobody ever does anything wrong, in this the best of all possible worlds. And it follows that nobody is ever responsible for anything, ever. How on earth does the world keep going round?
The RCIP clearly has issues that an independent body needs to investigate.
Imagine, and you All have the nerve to talk about Joey! Where are the flood gates of comments now? Guess there isn’t a Caymanian to tear down whether they are wrong or right. What a Cayman Islands we live in!
The reporting on this too is mild to the licks recently thrown at Joey Jeremy.
Here we have allegations of misconduct that resulted in a demotion and loss of pay and there just happens to be a settlement right before The judicial review proceeding? Hmmm, was there ever a case to answer?
He will receive all his pension benefits and back pay…the motion took place as if all this had never happened.. Are we for real?
This seems a case of the tail wagging the dog.
Regardless of how many complaints have been made against him they just cannot seem to get rid of him.
I never even knew that a police officer could place a travel restriction on anyone in Cayman without an arrest warrant for a suspected crime committed.
What has the Cayman Islands become ?
If he keeps going on this way, he will meet his comeuppance one of these days.
Karma can be a very nasty girl !