Victim impact statement from Mario Deane's mother presented during cops' sentencing hearing
Published:Tuesday | July 1, 2025 | 2:07 PM
The Westmoreland Circuit Court today heard the victim impact statement given by Mercia Fraser, the mother of Mario Deane, as the sentencing hearing for the three police personnel convicted for his 2014 death got under way.
Fraser was not physically present in the courtroom when the sentencing hearing for Corporal Elaine Stewart and constables Juliana Clevon and Marlon Grant took place.
In her statement, which was read by the court registrar, Fraser outlined how her life and the lives of her relatives have been affected since Deane's death on August 6, 2014, three days after he was beaten while in custody at the Barnett Street Police Station lock-up in Montego Bay, St James, for possession of a ganja spliff.
"Since August 3, 2014, when I learned Mario was in the hospital, my heart has been broken. He died at the hands of persons who were expected to protect him, and a simple charge for which he could have been fined led to his death," Fraser said in her statement.
The court also heard presentations of the social enquiry reports for Stewart, Clevon and Grant, in which their community members and relatives asked for leniency on their behalf.
Stewart, Clevon, and Grant were found guilty in May on charges of manslaughter and misconduct in a public office. They were on duty at the Barnett Street Police Station lock-up on August 3, 2014, the day Deane was beaten while in custody at the facility for possession of a ganja spliff.
Stewart, the senior officer at the time, was also found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice, in that she ordered that the cell where Deane was beaten should be cleaned prior to the arrival of investigators from the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).
- Christopher Thomas
Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.