Gales Point resident says police locked him up for eight days unjustly, claims harassment

Published by BBNTEAM at December 28, 2022

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Posted: Wednesday, December 28, 2022. 11:11 am CST.

By Breaking Belize News Staff: A resident of Gales Point Manatee says that police have kept him locked up for eight days before bringing him in front of a magistrate to be charged.

Twenty-two-year-old Tafaree Sanchez, appeared unrepresented in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, charged with being a member of a gang.

In court, he pleaded not guilty and explained to Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser, that police have had him locked up since December 19. He said that police locked him up, released him and locked him up again, making it impossible for him to appear before a magistrate due to the Christmas holidays.

He said that police harassment is the reason he moved out of Belize City and went on to say that police told him they were charging him for gang affiliation on the strength of a statement from a known gang member and nothing more.

Fraser told the prosecutor that she was not convinced that the case is viable and had considered striking out the matter but will give police until Wednesday to provide more substantial evidence. The matter is set to be called up sometime today.

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