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WRONGLY CONVICTED
Jonique Gaynor, Staff Reporter
After being wrongfully jailed for six years for a crime he was recently acquitted of, 42-year-old Clive Marriott is now trying to piece his shattered life together - the humiliation and physical abuse he endured, now providing motivation.
Before he was taken to jail, for what would be the toughest years of his life, Marriott, who is from Glengoffe, St.Catherine, owned a welding shop and worked hard to provide for his only child - a daughter who was then nine years old.
Lost life
"Di way how me go prison, mi can't even come to miself, cause di complainant neva seh nothin fi harm mi. Dis cause mi fi lose half a mi life jus so, mi life tek a dip. A one a di most disgraceful charge mi get," he said.
In 1997, a 15-year-old girl was taken from a fair by a group of men and sexually assaulted. Marriott elaborated: "Some guys went to the fair and took up the girl on a bicycle. They took her to my house and she was sexually assaulted."
Although the incident allegedly occured at his house, Marriott insists he had nothing to do with it and wasn't even there. He believes he was arrested because he is of similar complexion as one of the guilty men. None of the men were ever arrested.
Marriott was charged with conspiracy to rape, assault and attempt to rape but the first two charges were eventually dropped in the Linstead Resident Magistrate's Court. He was also granted bail, and after missing court dates because he was ill, reported to the police as soon as he was better. He says the police told him to stay home as he did not need to return to court.
He was therefore surprised when the police swooped down on him in 2000. He said: "Mi jus deh inna mi community with mi frens and leave fi go buy some food. By the time mi reach up di road, a two jeep load of police jook mi dung an seh mi wanted."
A jury convicted Marriott to 10 years imprisonment at hard labour and he served time in the Bog Walk, Spanish Town and Half Way Tree lock-ups as well as the Horizon Adult Remand Centre and the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre.
'Worse dan a hurricane'
The four years and six months spent at Tower Street were the hardest for Marriott. He said, "A di toughest, hardest, most miserable and disastrous time inna mi life. It's the worst place fi any human being - not even mi enemy mi wish fi go prison cause is a condemnation. When the inmate dem did get shot up, it was a disaster - worse dan a hurricane. "
After four years of appealing, he was eventually acquitted in October 2006. He said: "Nuff people did want mi fi jus give up, but no, an mi nuh guilty? Mi haffi fight it. Di judge let mi out and gimmi $500 fi pay mi fare, but tru mi hungry, mi stop and buy a food. mi neva know seh a so fare dear, mi almost nuh reach home," he said.
He said his arrest has strained his relationship with his now teenage daughter.
He says that it came at a time when he was trying to build a relationship with her.
Although he is now officially free, Marriott says that he has been branded a criminal, even though his family, friends and community have accepted him. "Now dat mi come back, nobody naw employ mi and mi is a legal man in the country. Mi apply fi visa and dem deny it. Mi youth a go high school and it costs a lot fi lunch money. Mi deh away from har fi so long dat everybody a seh a my time fi do it now. Mi jus want go do back some welding but mi need some equipment."
Seeking compensation
Marriott is seeking compensation from the government and if this is denied, he will sue. His lawyer, Marcus Goffe, told THE STAR: "We are going to file a constitutional action against the government for breaching his constitutional right to a fair trial within a reasonable time, which includes having all appeals heard within a reasonable time and we do not see how by any stretch of the imagination, four years can be a reasonable time for an appeal to be heard."
Jonique Gaynor, Staff Reporter
After being wrongfully jailed for six years for a crime he was recently acquitted of, 42-year-old Clive Marriott is now trying to piece his shattered life together - the humiliation and physical abuse he endured, now providing motivation.
Before he was taken to jail, for what would be the toughest years of his life, Marriott, who is from Glengoffe, St.Catherine, owned a welding shop and worked hard to provide for his only child - a daughter who was then nine years old.
Lost life
"Di way how me go prison, mi can't even come to miself, cause di complainant neva seh nothin fi harm mi. Dis cause mi fi lose half a mi life jus so, mi life tek a dip. A one a di most disgraceful charge mi get," he said.
In 1997, a 15-year-old girl was taken from a fair by a group of men and sexually assaulted. Marriott elaborated: "Some guys went to the fair and took up the girl on a bicycle. They took her to my house and she was sexually assaulted."
Although the incident allegedly occured at his house, Marriott insists he had nothing to do with it and wasn't even there. He believes he was arrested because he is of similar complexion as one of the guilty men. None of the men were ever arrested.
Marriott was charged with conspiracy to rape, assault and attempt to rape but the first two charges were eventually dropped in the Linstead Resident Magistrate's Court. He was also granted bail, and after missing court dates because he was ill, reported to the police as soon as he was better. He says the police told him to stay home as he did not need to return to court.
He was therefore surprised when the police swooped down on him in 2000. He said: "Mi jus deh inna mi community with mi frens and leave fi go buy some food. By the time mi reach up di road, a two jeep load of police jook mi dung an seh mi wanted."
A jury convicted Marriott to 10 years imprisonment at hard labour and he served time in the Bog Walk, Spanish Town and Half Way Tree lock-ups as well as the Horizon Adult Remand Centre and the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre.
'Worse dan a hurricane'
The four years and six months spent at Tower Street were the hardest for Marriott. He said, "A di toughest, hardest, most miserable and disastrous time inna mi life. It's the worst place fi any human being - not even mi enemy mi wish fi go prison cause is a condemnation. When the inmate dem did get shot up, it was a disaster - worse dan a hurricane. "
After four years of appealing, he was eventually acquitted in October 2006. He said: "Nuff people did want mi fi jus give up, but no, an mi nuh guilty? Mi haffi fight it. Di judge let mi out and gimmi $500 fi pay mi fare, but tru mi hungry, mi stop and buy a food. mi neva know seh a so fare dear, mi almost nuh reach home," he said.
He said his arrest has strained his relationship with his now teenage daughter.
He says that it came at a time when he was trying to build a relationship with her.
Although he is now officially free, Marriott says that he has been branded a criminal, even though his family, friends and community have accepted him. "Now dat mi come back, nobody naw employ mi and mi is a legal man in the country. Mi apply fi visa and dem deny it. Mi youth a go high school and it costs a lot fi lunch money. Mi deh away from har fi so long dat everybody a seh a my time fi do it now. Mi jus want go do back some welding but mi need some equipment."
Seeking compensation
Marriott is seeking compensation from the government and if this is denied, he will sue. His lawyer, Marcus Goffe, told THE STAR: "We are going to file a constitutional action against the government for breaching his constitutional right to a fair trial within a reasonable time, which includes having all appeals heard within a reasonable time and we do not see how by any stretch of the imagination, four years can be a reasonable time for an appeal to be heard."
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