Cop guilty in brutality case
(CNS): A jury returned a verdict of guilty on Thursday afternoon following a four-day trial involving a police officer accused of brutality. Rabe Welcome was found guilty of wounding after he broke the arm of Adolphus Myrie as he executed an arrest while off duty in 2009. Speaking in the wake of the verdict, Deputy Commissioner Anthony Ennis said the RCIPS takes any allegation of assaults by officers extremely seriously. “Although there are occasions when officers do find themselves in situations where the use of force is necessary, they must be able to justify that the use of force was justified and proportionate to the circumstances at the time.”
Ennis added that in this case it was clear that the level of force used was “far from justified or proportionate”.
Welcome broke the arm of the man in question as he arrested him at Red Bay Esso gas station some three years ago. The assault took place in the early hours of the morning when welcome and two other officers with him were off duty.
“Police officers we are sworn to uphold the laws and the guilty verdicts reached by the jury is a reminder that police officers are not above the law and will be held accountable if they act outside of their lawful authority,” Ennis added. “Unfortunately the actions of a few can blight the reputation of the many honest, hardworking and committed officers within the Service. We will continue to work diligently to maintain the highest professional standards within the RCIPS.”
Welcome, who has been suspended from his post since the incident, was bailed to return to court in August to be sentenced.
Category: Crime
I know Rabe and I feel sorry that this incident as turned this way for him. However I know the victim as well as I too feel sorry that he has to go through this ordeal as well.
I hope both have learnt a lesson from this and move on.
Regardless of ones pass please do not condemn for it.
Some of us posters wasnt there that night or morningl; and it all boils down to he did or he said.
I dont want my arm broken during an arrest and I dont want to be confronted with a machete.
What bothers me as a Caymanian is to see how quick we are to jump all over a Caymanian cop when they do something wrong and charge them etc. But when an expat cop does something wrong and breaches the law some 13 times like in the news recently when that British cop breached the Penal Code in my matter, he gets away with it because all he had to do was buy a one way ticket and resign from the RCIP. That has been seen on many other occassions in the past. In my opinion The RCIP is prejudicial when it comes to who they decide should be charged and who shouldn't. Then their own internal dept (PSU) that handles these complaints they are just as prejudicial depending on who makes the complaint and if it's valid in their eyes, they ignore it in the hopes that the person will go away. If you can't get anywhere with them and complain to the Complaints Commissioner's Office they flatly refuse and direct you back to the same PSU that failed to do anything about your complaint to begin with. So what must the public do when they have genuine and valid complaints.
I am not condoning what Rabe Welcome did, or anyone for that matter whom committed these types of offences. I am simply saying that what is good for one is good for all. If any officer expat or Caymanian breaks the law regardless of what the act is and whom they committed it against, they MUST be brought to justice. If they are off island, have them extradited and since the officer in my matter is living in Florida and they paid to fly him in twice for my trial then they can pay to extradite him back!
We wonder why good investors don't want to come here and invest, it is because of prejudicial actions such as these. Who would want to bring clean money to this country with a prejudicial police force?
This country has a compacted 'double standard' mentality and it's crippling us from all angles and the Govts of today and yesterday have done nothing other than lay blame. What is even worse is that the good officers of the RCIP are all getting painted with the same nasty paint brush becaue their leader has question marks over his head!
I trust that the Governor will see into all of this and deal with these matters because in my case I am not going away, I am going to be a thorn in the sides of everyone until my complaint is heard and dealt with satisfactory, because the RCIP has caused me to be destitute and I will seek a remedy. I have given them enough notice to deal with me, and they continue to ignore and they of all people should know that SILENCE IS CONSENT!
When this story was first reported, it sounded like this off-duty police officer and his friends had just happened upon a situation at the gas station with this guy acting crazy with a machete and threatening the public…and that he took him down and did what he had to do to arrest him….the story that's come out in court is NOTHING like that.
What's come out in court is that Welcome and his mates had been out drinking and ended up at this gas station at the same time as Myrie and his girlfriend…and that Welcome insulted the woman,, who told Myrie….and this basically escalated into a personal fight between two…and that Myrie had no idea that Welcome was a police officer…as they were all off-duty at the time.
Which commentor posting here wouldn't have doen the same thing as Myrie, had some unknown person disrespected and insulted their partner ?
The court made no mistake here…this is a good conviction….the RCIPS are bad enough already without having people like Rabe Welcome as police officers.
You people need to read the Caymanian Compass (2/7/12) to find out the truth,Rabe is guilty and will be punished for his stupid rage,some people do not read but are quick to comment in defence of Mr Welcome, some of you people are real frighten friday's like my grandfather would say!!
If you know the facts and read the evidence you will realize that kicking someone and breaking an arm is not the solution to apprehend. Also if he is off duty and other officers were there with him why did they not call for assistance instead of been apart of the altercation. They should be charged too.
Rape is a good guy I know him personally, yes he may be a little cocky but he did something that alot of people Would run away from & now he going to be thron in jail for
Saving innocent people lives! The system continues to protect criminals!!!
good lord, now you'll get the poor guy another ten years.
It is unfortunate to see how the smallness of a country can impact the small-minded thinking.
So many are writing in who personally know Rabe as a bully and claim "he got what he deserved".
But lets take names out of the equation and assess the same scenario:
A self professed and known street thug threatens to chop a known bully with a machete in a public place.
What is the bully to do?
a) Ignore the assailant and hope he goes away.
b) Attempt to disarm the assailant who is known to you as a criminal and you are confident that this man will use the machete as he is threatening to do.
c) Walk away
d) Accept the chop since he is a bully and will not receive justice in court or in the court of public opinion.
While I think most would choose c) if possible, many of us wish we had the balls know how and strength to use option b).
For all others who select option a) please think of what impression this will leave in the mind of the assailant? Such behaviour is acceptable and makes me powerful. Such behaviour is bound to be repeated. For all the option a) people, I say we have ignored these situations for too long. Eventually constant implementation of a) will lead to option d) i.e. an escallation in violence.
Rabe deserves a medal in my opinion. Who do you want answering your call to the police? I WANT policemen who have the confidence and ability to go for the takedown when confronted with danger and be successful. We have too many of the "other two officers" on the force and not enough Rabe Welcome!
I totally agree with your scenarios. Their are too many, who, when they are summoned to an incident, take forever to arrive on the scene. The only time you get an immediate response , is when they hear the word DRUGS. The vehicles are in the air and every car is on the spot.
The criminals are always a step ahead and given the right to do wrong and intimidate people. He was lucky that he only got a broken arm; he should try that in any other country and see what would happen to him.
I have a friend who prevented a violent man from leaving an incident until the police could arrive. When they did come they grabbed my friend and slammed him into a car so hard that his ear was largely sliced off. They did not take him for medical treatment but cuffed him and took him to the station. Once they established that he was the innocent and was helping them he spent the rest of the night at hospital having his ear sewn back on…..no apology.
That is excessive force, before even understanding who the good guys and who the bad guys were. I am glad to see that overly violent police officers are being held accountable for their actions.
Here's a breakdown of past situations to present just in case some have forgotten When the oldman at the end of Walkers road was severly beaten to a pulp by foreign officers did they end up in court???? When a foreign officer raped a female prisoner in Central Police station and got her pregnant did he not catch the flight and leave this jurisdiction and the two local officers were dismissed for knowing about it. When foreign officers beat 2 local criminals in custody did they go to criminal court or had to be sued in Civil court. When a foreign officer use a police vehicle to run over a person he was pursuing in West Bay off WIlle Farrington Drive did he get charge and go to court. Yes Noonie mouse and Mr Sweet Justice wait until it happens to YOU! You better hope and pray its a Caymanian Officer yeah hear! The problem with ignorance is as it goes along it picks up confidence. With the amount of foreign officers i now see in the RCIPS it won't be long either Mr Mousey & Mr Sweet!
I am surprized at Ennis' statement. Raib was the only one with guts to deal with a violent criminal and this is the reward he got for it? Raib should have been given a medal. I feel sorry for him and sorry the officers of the RCIP who have to face criminals from a point of disadvantage every day. It's easy to say that excessive force was used, but put yourself in Raib's position that night. The public was expecting him to subdue a dangerous person and credit to him, he did so. Just remember, Raib wasn't the one threatening people with a machete. One of these days an officer will be injured, or killed because they are not properly equipped and what will happen to the criminal? Nothing much and some lawyer with a cocky attitude will suck the government dry on legal aid defending them to the bitter end to get them off, or get as light a sentence as they can. But you know what, a criminal can't change his spots. Just watch to see what the future will hold. Maybe one day you all will say that Raib should have broken more than his arm.
This CNS report does not give the full details of the court case; read the Caycompass article on this trial for a clearer picture as to what actually happened.
This police officer, Rabe Welcome had been off-duty drinking with his police buddies, went into the gas-station and provoked Myrie's girlfriend with some disrespectful remark.
She went outside and told her man, who then grabbed his lass and went crazy on his A$$ !
Doesn't that sound like the Rabe we all know from his days in Customs as a K9 unit officer ?
This story was never reported fairly in the first place…and as usual, the truth or something near to it only comes out in court.
XXXX
This was no act of bravery, this was the act of the bully coward we all know Rabe as.
Perhaps Tony Ennis or the Legal Department can now explain to the public why Adolphus Myrie wasn't charged with Carrying an Offensive Weapon, Assaulting Police, Threatening Violence, Resisting Arrest, Disorderly Conduct etc…..
If Rabe Welcome did wrong and was found guitly, should Myrie be allowed to walk free as a bird ?? What kind of message are you sending to "Crime Fighter's" who go up against hardened criminals in society today ?? Oh I forgot, this is the new era of modern policing in the Cayman Islands which has been thoroughly embraced by the "disconnected few".
Well I agree that Rabe is a 6’3” 250lb bully. However I’m of the opinion that the RCIP needs some bullies. These punks need to respect the law, and they won’t until the RCIP is able to demand it. How unfair is it to ask one to carry out his/her duties, yet don’t provide support and tools required. “Rabe should still be beating him”
Have a great long weekend Cayman!
Personally Karmas a B..ch and it was only time before he got into trouble. I will get onto the point of guilty shortly but this guy drives fancy cars, boats acts like a big shot all the time. I am glad I left the force and didn't have to deal with him in customs and police.XXXXX
Now to the case in point, this is a a wrong conviction. 2 officers off duty @ a gas stn, man come in threatening people, off duty officers address the issue, man threatens to get his gun, in stead goes to car an pull out a machette, swinging around threatening people. As far as i am concerned the off duty officers did their job and secrured the person and broke his arm in struggle. SO!!!! What would all of you be saying lets say the officers did nothing and the man chopped someone up infront of them? point made.
We wonder why the police take their time when going to reports well this is the reason, the can't protect us from criminals, if they show up and do something they may get charged..
To be honest Appeal he will be found not guilty, then he will sue and get a shoot load of money.
Do you begrudge him because he comes from a family of some means?
What he does with his money is his business, and has ZERO relevance to the issue.
Let me go out on a limb with this one and take any personal issues that Rabe has aside.
So a known "thug" is in a public place, being disorderly and threatening innocent people with a deadly weapon and when he is restrained by off duty officers, and injured in the process, that officer is then charged and convicted? Personally, I would have been very supportive to have seen them hit him with a car because that's what I would have done.
When you behave like a criminal and live like a criminal you should get treated like one!
Think about this; the next time one of you are in danger and have someone physically threatening you or a loved one, keep in mind that the judicial system is now telling our police officers that they can get in trouble for protecting us. Who do we blame now when they don't respond?
I can already hear the little wannabe thugs with this new ammunition in their arsenal, "you cant touch me or you goin get lock up". Good night, like they needed any help in laughing at the police already…
Were you present in court? do you have all the details?the same thing you are accusing the courts about,is the said thing you are doing,I am sure when the learned judge heard all sides,he made the correct decision,even if it's not the most popular.We all know about this young man ego,there are many ways to skin a cat,but only one correct way.
I don't know, I'm a little undecided about this one. Yeah I've heard he, the officer, was cocky and pushy with his authority and what not but at the end of the day the guy had a machette and was carrying on threatening etc. I personally have been at a gas station and other places to witness incidents with some idiot weilding a machette even to see someone get chopped and slapped with one and it wasn't a pretty scene – anyone who has had the opportunity so witness such an incident would've only wished there was a cop or other person there to do just what this officer did before it get out of hand. Furthermore I kind of commend this officer for putting himself out there and risking injury to himself, at best he may have had a baton to assist – whoopie woo! What would we have preferred for them to have stood there and just watch for someone to get chopped or possibly killed before trying to do something? The way I see it that person chose to weild a machette and threaten therefore had intent to assault and possibly even kill someone and these officers put themselves in harms way and prevented it from escalating to that point and if their arm got broken in the process then oh well so be it – if they never had the machette carrying on as they were everything would've been all hunky dory.
Like someone else said if this were in the US or someother place far more severe actions would've more than likely been used like a shot out knee cap, shot arm or tazed but none of that was an option for them and they still chose to get in close to this guy who was armed with a machette – commendable in my opinion.
As for setting an example, I'm not sure what example that is cause now all this means is our already laxed/slack officers at dealing with serious/violent crime will be even less likely to probably even show up or do anything until after the fact if them doing something means they will be possibly thanked with being prosecuted for it.
People here talk about him being a bully and what not as a customs officer, my question to this is then really and truly why are they labelling him as such? Is it because he didn't give you much slack when you came in with too much stuff far beyond what's allowed and so sending you to be charged for it? Or even simply searching every piece of luggage like he's supposed to? Again, upholding the law. Do you see how serious the customs officers in the airports are in the US? Try pulling a fast one, being feisty or even looking suspicious and see how you are treated/dealt with there! Bottom line is he was in a position of border control which is a serious thing and really needs to be "policed" properly not just slacked off because the officer wants to make their work load/day easier.
Yeah, justice was served on this one. Rabe is a bully. A 6'3" 250 lb bully in a police uniform is not a good combination.
Rabe you got exactly whatyou deserved. As an officer I saw you abuse your authority to your advantage many times. You are rude, arrogant and I recall hearing you talk about how you considered yourself an “ALPHA MALE”. Well buddy the only ALPHA you need to worry about now is the Alpha in A Wing. Better known as NORTHWARD PRISON. Karma finally has served justice. Wait til they catch ya in there bo bo!!
An 'Off-Duty' Police Officer puts his LIFE on the line to dis-arm a machete wielding thug,and in the process, the thug gets his arm broken.
Then, the Thug is released without being charged in spite of the many Witnesses and Video footage, and the Police Officer is Charged, Tried and Convicted of 'Assault' against the Thug?
In either Jamaica orthe USA, this Thug would be pushing-up daises now.
I'm not sure what is worse here, the obvoius Travesty of Justice, or the fact that the majority of the posters appear to be in support of the Verdict against a brave cop who put his very life on the line and possibly saved others INNOCENT persons from being harmed by this Thug that night at Red Bay Esso.
I guess the old saying is true, "No good deed goes unpunnished".
We should all be VERY ASHAMED of ourselves.
You people stess that the officer was off duty but case precedent says that even if the officer is actually off duty, once something happen to warrant his intrvention he becomes"on duty".
You might hate the officer because of his cockyness but the victim who could have been chopped to death i am sure welcome the intervention. This prosecution is to make a show of the officer and to fry him with the fat of other indisciplined officer. Of course if he was from acertain country the matter might have been dealt with differently
I don't know anything about this police officer and he may or may not deserve this punishment, but it seems to me that he is certainly being made an example of. If this is the same case I think it is, where some idiot was running around a gas station violently trying to chop people up with a machete, let's be honest, had he pulled that stunt here in the US, a broken arm would be the least of his worries. Over here, any incident where lives are being threatened, police shoot first and ask questions later. Just saying…..
If this was jamaica, and some idiot ran around weilding a sharp machette, before he could getthe chance to chop off somebody head the police would have shot him. Only in Cayman the police hands are tied from doing their duty. As a citizen of this country, the Police need to really be less active in helping some of these people, because you are only going to get talked about and blamed for everything. Let the Public do their own dirty job.
I like the way the police operate in the US. Shoot and ask questions after. We would be rid of many of our nusiances and Cayman would be a better place.
do you mean like Travon Martin,fighting fire with fire can be a very dangerous game my friend,I know we are all fed up with the crime,but at the same time we needto think things through.
uhhh.. Trayvon Martin was NOT SHOT BY A POLICE OFFICER….
Trevon Mattin's case is the wrong scenario to use. Ximmerman was a punk aspiring to be a police, he now has proven to be a person along with his wife 'NOT CREDIBLE!"
Even Zimmerman's attorney is questioniing his credibility!
Trevon and Zimmerrman were both civilians.
There is always two sides to a story, get your information correct before you call someone an idiot!
Thank Heavens… Rabe, that old attitude of yours finally caught up with you, eh. too bad they didn't get you earlier when you behaving like this at Customs… you only used those uniforms to push around and bully people. you're on the receivingend now buddy. how da taste?
It is easy for people like you who have never worked in a law enforcement position, to criticism force in general. Rabe was found guilty for excessive violence. But the use of force is necessary for having people like you comply to the law. But of course, you have never been stressed to use force on anyone before, so you wouldn't understand.
assume much? I used to work with Rabe and let me tell you, he used his uniform as an excuse to bully everybody, including his colleagues. Trust me, he is getting what he deserves.
That being said, the idiot with the machette, should be re-arrested and charged with at least disorderly conduct.
Many of these comments are obviously from people who personally know Rabe, like I do, from the time he worked at C&W. He was an annoying bigot then, and I am sure that has continued. I remember commenting when I saw he had joined customs that it would not be long before the thrill of harassing people he felt threatened by while they were in the customs line at the airport would not be enough, and that he would end up in the police farce. I will not comment on the validity of the conviction as I was not there, but I will say it could not have happened to a more deserving individual.
what about what is going on in C-BRAC, they need to be brought up charges that are happening there also in C-BRAC, C-BRAC have alot of DRUGS & NOTHING IS DONE!!!!
Oh right, so you know there are lots of drugs on the Brac???. So have you told the Police where they are and who has them, or is selling them??. I'm not saying there aren't drugs on the Brac but it's the duty of ordinary people to report the details to the Police, otherwise like so much crime in the Islands, everyone knows who dun it, but nobody telling!!!!. You don't even have to say who you are!!!.
Maybe C-Brac is now the crime capital of Cayman since eyes are looking the other way!
The RCIP all in end is to blame for this. I know of incidences when then comoplaint were made about the same indiviual and they did nothing. The RCIP heads are just as guilt for not managing their officers properly. They will brush this under the rug as one person took the rap for bad management. What about his bosses? They are ultimately the ones who trained him and saw that he had anger issues, and what was noticable from his customs days
Just a banana republic we live in
I have seen officers go on dangerous missions by themselves with no back-up! So yes there are over 350+ officers for thissmall island. But where are the support from the seniors? Why aren't officers being properly equip for making easier arrests? I can see why they take so long responding to a robbery, because they are not equip to deal with the robbers, and what support do the uniform officers get? I have seen this over and over and over again, and its like the rest of the 300 officers are in hiding
Yes no qualms with this but three officers were involved and guess who gets padded down for it. very clear how tings run ya still Caymanians pay attention.
Stop being pathetic and self pitying. " guess who gets padded down for it" – the answer is the violent criminal who broke the mans arm. Pure and simple.
Yes, there were three officers involved. He might have been the only Caymanian and the one to get the stick. But you know what? take it from me a Caymanian, his attitude was (and possibly still is) one of the worst I have ever came across. So, your theory of the Caymanian beingtargeted does not hold with me on this one.
He got what he was long overdue to get!! I cal that sweet justice!!!
Karma caught up with you finally.
I think this was a very good decsion
I am very thankful about this. The police are brutal.
Good, he was always a cocky ass even when he worked the bench at Customs.
Just sorry Rabe wasnt by the Lobster Pot last week when a guy hit a 73 years old man in the head with a rock that had to take stitches. No arrest nor nothing has been done about that as yet. Guess he is an old Caymanian man with no one to intercede . The poor man even went and made a complaint, and the idiot of a boy is well known from down North. A severe hit like that will perhaps one day cause his death, as tumors sometimes are caused from a severe blow to the head. Whilst Rabe that I dont know might be arrogant as you all say at least he is not afraid of the criminals, and if he had a left the man alone and someone was in jured you would have said that he is no good, hard to please ya all.