Officer faces contempt charge after taking ‘sickie’

(CNS): A detective constable in the RCIPS who failed to appear in court last month, despite being a crucial witness, because he was on sick leave, is now facing contempt charges. DC Winston Harrison failed to show up for a Summary Court hearing on 30 July because his senior officer said he was unwell. However, the cop was spotted by the defense attorney in the case just two days later hobbling on a crutch into another courtroom to attend a civil private family matter. Concerned about the officer's failure to show in his client's case, Peter Polack requested that the magistrate bind the cop over. As a result, the officer has been summoned to answer a contempt of court charge.

DC Harrison was the lead officer in the summary case in question and the arrest of Andre Woodman on drug charges in 2013 but failed to appear for what described as "a crucial hearing”. But once Polack saw the cop limping to civil court just two days after he had failed to attend the criminal hearing, the lawyer raised his concerns. The magistrate made an order for the cop to be bound over to appear in Summary Court on 4 September to deal with the contempt allegation.

Harrison is already the subject of questionable behaviour in this particular case as Polack has complained that the warrant in the case had been "obtained in an unusual and unlawful manner", which had fallen short of the new standards surrounding warrants and JPs.