By Denise Clarke, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
A police corporal who was accused of assaulting a female spring breaker in Negril earlier this month, was convicted and fined a total of $70,000 in the Savanna-la-Mar Resident Magistrate's court yesterday.
Corporal Calvin Antonio, who is attached to the Manchester Police Division, was found guilty of three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm. He was fined $30,000 on each count or six weeks imprisonment on two counts, and $10,000 or 30 days for the third count. The Gleaner could not ascertain whether the fines were paid yesterday.
SUSPENSION
Antonio has been on suspension since his arrest, however, a senior officer at the Area Three Headquarters in Manchester said it is more than likely that the conviction could lead to the Corporal's dismissal.
"The Commissioner has the final say, but if he appeals the conviction, the Commissioner might choose to let the suspension stand until the appeal process is through. If he is successful with the appeal, then the Commissioner could still choose to take disciplinary measures against him," said the senior officer.
The Corporal was accused of assaulting the spring breaker after she refused his advances at a night club in Negril on March 17. He is said to have kicked her in the stomach several times and doused her with beer, when she rejected his provocative advances.
At the time of the incident, Corporal Antonio was one of the 60 additional law enforcers deployed to Negril to beef up security for the resort town which was expecting more than 10,000 spring breakers to visit.
