The tales of women who are abused often make this newscast – but tonight it’s different. This time, the abuser is not a jealous lover or a temperamental husband, it’s the police. An Orange Walk woman has alleged that he and two other police personnel beat her up for no good reason. She has the wounds to show and she spoke to our colleagues at Channel 10 in Orange Walk from her hospital bed yesterday. Jacqueline Godwin tells the story.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Yadira Dominquez lies in the Orange Walk Hospital recovering from a blow to the head that was allegedly delivered by a person sworn to protect and maintain law and order, Police Corporal 208 Graciano Briceno better known as Charro. The bloodstained pavement shows just how vicious the attack was.
Dominquez, who reportedly lost a lot of blood also suffered cuts and bruises to her neck and hand. The cut to the head also had to be sewn shut…a total of six stitches were required. From her hospital bed Yadira says that it happened outside her home on Easter Sunday. She left a neighbor’s house but went home to check on her children and was knocking on the door when Briceno along with two other police officers arrived.
Yadira Dominquez, Alleges Police Brutality
“So when I see the police stop and he tell me what is going on and I tell him I come to find my children so he say he come arrest me and I tell him why and he say the neighbors say that I was making noise and that I was drunk.
“He tell me that he come an arrest me. I ignored them and went to the back of my house and I see that they had a padlock. Well I start to ignore them and I gone close to the car and he told me that he was going to arrest me again and I tell him why. He said because you are making noise and you are drunk.”
A charge that she denied. Yadira says she was then grabbed and beaten repeatedly
Yadira Dominquez,
“He tell the two policemen to arrest me and then they held on to my hand and I started to struggle. So when I start to struggle with them, he came and he knocked me with a flashlight.”
The commotion alerted one of the mother’s daughter’s Sayuri Dominquez who ran outside of the house to see what was happening.
Sayuri Dominquez, Daughter
“When I came to check what was going on, I saw the police was hurting my mom and he beat her with a flashlight. I told him that he should not hurt my mom and then he pushed me. Because he pushed me and kicked my mom on, I told him to let her go and he just pushed me then.”
Yadira Dominquez,
“Now like I tell you before. I start to struggle with the police the time when he hit me. Then when they took me to the pickup they throw me in the back of the pickup and they drove to the hopsital and they left me by the gate and told me let me come down. So I go for a dressing and I tell them I am not going for any dressing, I am going home and then I tell them that Tuesday I will be going to Belmopan to report him.”
But Yadira Dominquez never made the trip she had to be hospitalized due to the severity of the injury.
Abigail Dominques, Sister of assault victim
“When I went to the hospital. I saw my sister she has 6 stitches right here and her clothes is full of blood, her bra and underwear and pants, blouse. We still have the clothes because the police officers told us not to wash it so we have it there for them to see and so we have the clothes there.”
Yadira Dominquez,
“My head is hurting me a lot, my back, my knees, my foot is swollen and I have plenty of headache.”
Abigail Dominquez,
“3 police officers could have easily taken her to the police station
but not to cause her an injury so I think that was too bad for a police officer to have done that to my sister.”
Equally disturbing is that while the police are investigating the actions of one of their own 7NEWS understands that PC Briceno has not been interdicted from duty.
Insp. Alden Dawson, Dep. O.C. Orange Walk Police Station
“Based on her allegation and our investigation, we have presently placed Corporal Briceno on disciplinary charges. The evidence we have like I said had led to the charges. Any form of interdiction is the sole authority of the commissioner and he will make that decision if that should be the case. The doctor has classified the injury as wounding and we went with that and we have placed him on disciplinary charge like I said which is a legal form of action.”
Yadira Dominquez,
“I never expect that because he said that I was drinking and that is not true. That, that is not true because when he left me at the hospital he hurry gone and say he had to hit me because I wanted to burn my house because I was very drunk. Did you want to burn your house? No because that house I left it for me two children and I would never do something like that to my children because I know I would never leave my children on the street.”
Insp. Alden Dawson,
“The manner of behavior alleged by the complainant is neither here or there but I would also advise any police officer that they must at all times behave in a professional manner.”
The Dominquez family say they do not know if their mother and sister will have long term medical problems due to the head injury but one thing they do know and that is…
Abigail Dominquez,
“I want justice, Ii want Charro out of this police thing. Also I want him out because I do not think this is fair, I want justice that is what all I want – justice.
This makes me feel so bad because being a police officer he should not beat a woman. The police officers are there to protect and avoid accident not to make accidents happen. So I think that is too bad for a police officer being a police officer, he should not suppose to do that.”
The Dominquez family says they are seeking legal assistance. For 7NEWS Jacqueline Godwin.
Commissioner of Police Gerald Westby today cautioned us that there are two sides to every story. He adds that he hasn’t yet gotten the case file and when he does he will make a decision.
