The Court of Appeal on Tuesday freed Constable Conroy Prince of charges of unlawful wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was convicted in the May Pen Resident Magistrate's Court on November 26 last year, and fined a total of $200,00 or six months' imprisonment.

Evidence was given at his trial that on January 31, 2010, the policeman attacked a man in Sandy Bay, Clarendon, and used a piece of wood to hit him in the head. Residents in the area had accused the complainant of breaking into Prince's house.

Alleged beating

Prince said in his defence that he was at a funeral in Manchester at the time of the alleged beating. He said he had no reason to believe that it was the complainant who had broken into his house.

Attorney-at-law Dwight Reece who represented Prince argued on appeal that the Resident Magistrate erred in relying on the identification led by the prosecution. He submitted that the complainant had not seen the face of his attacker or lead evidence to say at what stage the complainant would have seen the face of his attacker.

Reece pointed out that the medical report was that the injury was to the back of the complainant.

The court upheld the submissions, quashed the convictions and entered a verdict of acquittal.