Dixon Faces Common Law Charges

(CNS): When Deputy Commissioner Rudolph Dixon appears in court this morning, 6 August, he will be facing four charges that relate to common law offences as oppose to offences under the penal code. Although more details are expected to be revealed in the court room today, Senior Investigating Officer Martin Bridger confirmed that the charges relate to offences concerning Dixon’s conduct and his role as a public official as opposed to criminal acts under the country’s penal code.

Dixon has been charged with two counts of misconduct in a public office and two counts of doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice.  The charges emerged as a result of an investigation that has been carried out by a team of detectives from the UK’s Metropolitan Police Force.

Since Dixon was first placed on required leave in March of this year and then subsequently arrested, speculation concerning the behaviour of the Deputy Commissioner has led to expectations in the community that there could well be serious charges of a criminal nature brought against him. However, so far Bridger has insisted that his investigation is not concerned with rumour and speculation but with evidence.

Bridger’s enquiry into the Royal Cayman Islands PoliceService began almost one year ago when a small team of undercover officers from Scotland Yard began an investigation as a result of allegations made by former MLA for the Sister Islands, and at the time Cayman Net News journalist, Lyndon Martin against Deputy Commissioner Anthony Ennis. The allegations suggested Ennis was engaged in a corrupt relationship with the publisher of Net News Desmond Seales. During the pursuit of that investigation Bridger and his team found the original allegations unfounded, but they discovered other areas of concern surrounding issues of integrity relating to police officers.

In March of this year, Governor Stuart Jack announced that Police Commissioner Stuart Kernohan, Deputy Commissioner Dixon and Chief Inspector John Jones were all being placed on required leave in order to facilitate the Scotland Yard investigation, which at that point was no longer covert. Both Kernohan and Jones remain suspended and neither man has yet been arrested. Bridger confirmed yesterday that Kernohan remains off island due to family circumstances and that Jones has now returned to Cayman. Bridger said the investigation concerning those two officers continues.

Martin was also subsequently charged with various offences in relation to the allegations he made against Ennis and is due to appear in court on Thursday, 21 August, for a Preliminary Inquiry hearing.