Two Spanish Town Officers Pay $255,000 Compensation After Assault Charges

Two St Catherine constables charged with assault have paid $255,000 to their victim via court-supervised mediation, INDECOM confirms.

Spanish Town Officers Settle Assault Case Through INDECOM Mediation

Two police constables charged with assaulting a man in Spanish Town, St Catherine have paid $255,000 in compensation to the complainant, jamaica-gleaner.com reports.

Constables Paul Banbury and Jason Hunter faced charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) probe into an incident on October 17, 2024. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions subsequently ruled that both officers should be charged.

The matter came before the St Catherine Parish Court before being referred to mediation. Under a March 2026 mediation agreement, the two constables agreed to make full restitution of $255,000 to the complainant. The payment was made in court on September 11, 2026.

INDECOM described the outcome in a media release on Monday, stating that "formal court-appointed mediation" represents "an important option for the timely resolution of appropriate assault offences."

The agency added that a successful mediation outcome "does not constitute a conviction or finding of criminal liability," but "can provide meaningful redress to a complainant through an agreed compensation payment under the supervision of the court."

Source: Google News JM — Crime