JFJ disappointed with suspended sentences for cops in Mario Deane case

Human rights lobby group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) says it “respectfully disagrees” with the decision of a court to impose suspended sentences on two of the three cops convicted for the beating death of Mario Deane.

However, JFJ said it welcomes the “historic” manslaughter convictions of the three cops who were charged for their roles in Deane's horrific death inside a St James police lock-up in 2014.

The cops, Corporal Elaine Stewart, along with district constables Marlon Grant and Juliana Clevon, were found guilty of manslaughter and misconduct in public office at the end of their trial in May.

They were sentenced in the Westmoreland Circuit Court on Tuesday by Justice Courtney Daye.

Stewart was sentenced to five years in prison for the manslaughter conviction and one year for the misconduct in public office conviction.

She has been released on bail pending an appeal.

Grant and Clevon were each sentenced to three years for manslaughter and one year for misconduct in public office.

However, in both cases Daye ordered that the sentence for manslaughter be suspended for three years while the sentence for misconduct in public office was suspended for two years.

A suspended sentence means that the offender will serve no prison time if they do not commit another offence during the period of the suspension.

JFJ noted that sentencing guidelines for manslaughter typically range from three to 15 years, but said given the gravity of the cop's negligence in causing Deane's death, it hoped that the judge would have accepted the recommendation by prosecutors for a starting point closer to the higher end of the range before adjustments for aggravating and mitigating factors.

“These lenient outcomes risk reinforcing a culture of impunity, as well as potentially undermining public trust in the justice system's commitment to holding state actors accountable,” Executive Director of JFJ, Mikel Jackson, said in a statement on Thursday.

She said the lobby group acknowledged the severity of Stewart's sentence as an appropriate judicial response, particularly for obstructing justice by ordering a clean-up of the crime scene.

But Jackson said JFJ shares the “profound disappointment” of Deane's mother, Mercia Fraser, with the suspended sentences for Grant and Clevon.

However, she said the lobby group welcomes the convictions, which she described as “a rare achievement in Jamaica where such prosecutions are uncommon due to complex legal nuances.”

Jackson said Deane's death remains a stark symbol of systemic failures within Jamaica's law enforcement and justice systems, compounded by protracted delays which slowed the judicial process for over a decade.

“While the convictions mark a step forward, the justice system must deliver equitable and appropriate consequences to restore public confidence and prevent future tragedies,” she said.

JFJ says it wants to see comprehensive lockups and prison reforms; the safeguarding of human rights in custody; investment in police training; independent oversight and accountability mechanisms that prevent abuse before it occurs and ensuring that no family has to endure a similar loss.

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