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18months hard labor, 
AND, the trial no done yet!!
<span style="font-weight: bold">'Bungles' guilty
Most high-profile cop to be convicted of corruption
POLICE Superintendent Harry 'Bungles' Daley yesterday felt the sting of the law he was sworn to enforce, when he was sentenced to 18 months in prison at hard labour, after being convicted on one count of corruption.
The rugged 31-year veteran of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the most high profile cop to be convicted of corruption, immediately gave notice he would appeal his conviction which came near noon in Judge Judith Pusey's Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court in Kingston.
But Daley's troubles are not yet over, as he will return to court to answer five similar corruption charges against him. These are scheduled to be mentioned in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court on January 15, 2010.
Superintendent Harry Daley leaves the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday after his bail was extended, pending an appeal of his conviction for corruption.
A dejected Superintendent Harry 'Bungles' Daley speaks to reporters outside the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court following his conviction yesterday on one count of corruption. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)
Although showing uncharacteristic emotion, rubbing his eyes and appearing tense, the policeman remained defiant to the end, declaring that he had been set up by his colleagues.
"I am an innocent man. I did not do what is said of me. I felt like I'm in a dream and I wish for that dream to be over. It still is not over," he said in disbelief. "How could this be happening? How could it be that a lie could be influencing something to the extent that it does against me? I just can't comprehend."
Those comments to journalists came just after he had been released on extended bail, in the company of his lawyer, Valerie Neita-Robertson, who described the sentence as manifestly excessive.
Daley has been convicted of breaching section 14 (1)(a) of the Corruption Prevention Act for accepting protection money from the complainant, Tafari Clarke, a businessman. The money, according to evidence given to the court, was for protection against a man called Terry, who wanted to muscle in on a plaza in Ewarton, St Catherine that Clarke's relatives operated.
The superintendent was arrested in a dramatic sting operation along Arnold Road in Kingston on July 31, 2008, after taking $15,000 in marked bills from Clarke. The arrest culminated a six-month-long covert investigation which involved audio and video recordings.
Daley said during the trial, which started in April and concluded on November 5, that he was collecting on a debt owed by Clarke's late uncle and that Clarke was telling lies on him in order to be placed under the witness protection programme and sent overseas.
But Senior Magistrate Pusey was unimpressed.
Moments before yesterday's verdict, Daley, decked in a dark suit, sat still wearing a tense expression. Called to sit in the prisoner's dock, where the reading of the verdict lasted an hour, Daley buried his face in his hands, hung his head and could be seen rubbing his eyes at different points when it was clear from the reasoning of the magistrate that a conviction was imminent.
Pusey said that the case rested on credibility, noting that she found Daley's defence unbelievable. Pusey said that although Clarke was a drug convict, she found him to be truthful, adding that the defence had been 'shifty'.
Pusey also noted that a threat made by Daley, and which was captured on tape, to issue a gunshot to Terry if he continued to mess with Clarke showed that he was being paid in return for protection.
"I find that the prosecution has proved its case... I find that Mr Daley collected money from Tafari Clarke for protection up to the time of his arrest," said Pusey, who went over the different aspects of the evidence at length. "I reject the defence's position that the payment was to liquidate a debt owed..."
Added Pusey, to no reaction from Daley: "I therefore find this accused man guilty on the information presented."
Neita-Robertson asked the court for a non-custodial sentence, noting that Daley had suffered enough with the loss of his job due to the conviction, but the magistrate declined the petition.
"The offence for which you have been convicted... is something, to my mind, that cannot be punished by a non-custodial sentence," Pusey responded and sentenced him to 18 months in prison.
Immediately following the verdict, Daley was led away to be processed. He was released shortly after on bail.
Reaction to the conviction came quickly, led by Acting Police Commissioner Owen Ellington who hailed it as a clear demonstration of the "will and courage of the JCF to go after corrupt police officers, no matter the rank involved".
Said Ellington: "Corruption is listed as one of my top six strategic priorities and we will be pursuing corrupt and unprofessional officers with vigour until we rid the organisation of these persons."
"The JCF will continue to make the separation between good, law-abiding and hard-working policemen and women and the corrupt, unprofessional and lazy policemen and women," said Ellington, who praised the "brave" officers who worked on preparing the case, despite challenges "even from within".
Executive director of Jamaicans For Justice, Dr Carolyn Gomes viewed the conviction as "vindication" of the stance of her human rights organisation and called for more conviction of corrupt cops.
Statements from the Police Officers Association and rank-and- file counterparts were more muted.
</span>
AND, the trial no done yet!!
<span style="font-weight: bold">'Bungles' guilty
Most high-profile cop to be convicted of corruption
POLICE Superintendent Harry 'Bungles' Daley yesterday felt the sting of the law he was sworn to enforce, when he was sentenced to 18 months in prison at hard labour, after being convicted on one count of corruption.
The rugged 31-year veteran of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the most high profile cop to be convicted of corruption, immediately gave notice he would appeal his conviction which came near noon in Judge Judith Pusey's Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court in Kingston.
But Daley's troubles are not yet over, as he will return to court to answer five similar corruption charges against him. These are scheduled to be mentioned in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court on January 15, 2010.
Superintendent Harry Daley leaves the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday after his bail was extended, pending an appeal of his conviction for corruption.
A dejected Superintendent Harry 'Bungles' Daley speaks to reporters outside the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court following his conviction yesterday on one count of corruption. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)
Although showing uncharacteristic emotion, rubbing his eyes and appearing tense, the policeman remained defiant to the end, declaring that he had been set up by his colleagues.
"I am an innocent man. I did not do what is said of me. I felt like I'm in a dream and I wish for that dream to be over. It still is not over," he said in disbelief. "How could this be happening? How could it be that a lie could be influencing something to the extent that it does against me? I just can't comprehend."
Those comments to journalists came just after he had been released on extended bail, in the company of his lawyer, Valerie Neita-Robertson, who described the sentence as manifestly excessive.
Daley has been convicted of breaching section 14 (1)(a) of the Corruption Prevention Act for accepting protection money from the complainant, Tafari Clarke, a businessman. The money, according to evidence given to the court, was for protection against a man called Terry, who wanted to muscle in on a plaza in Ewarton, St Catherine that Clarke's relatives operated.
The superintendent was arrested in a dramatic sting operation along Arnold Road in Kingston on July 31, 2008, after taking $15,000 in marked bills from Clarke. The arrest culminated a six-month-long covert investigation which involved audio and video recordings.
Daley said during the trial, which started in April and concluded on November 5, that he was collecting on a debt owed by Clarke's late uncle and that Clarke was telling lies on him in order to be placed under the witness protection programme and sent overseas.
But Senior Magistrate Pusey was unimpressed.
Moments before yesterday's verdict, Daley, decked in a dark suit, sat still wearing a tense expression. Called to sit in the prisoner's dock, where the reading of the verdict lasted an hour, Daley buried his face in his hands, hung his head and could be seen rubbing his eyes at different points when it was clear from the reasoning of the magistrate that a conviction was imminent.
Pusey said that the case rested on credibility, noting that she found Daley's defence unbelievable. Pusey said that although Clarke was a drug convict, she found him to be truthful, adding that the defence had been 'shifty'.
Pusey also noted that a threat made by Daley, and which was captured on tape, to issue a gunshot to Terry if he continued to mess with Clarke showed that he was being paid in return for protection.
"I find that the prosecution has proved its case... I find that Mr Daley collected money from Tafari Clarke for protection up to the time of his arrest," said Pusey, who went over the different aspects of the evidence at length. "I reject the defence's position that the payment was to liquidate a debt owed..."
Added Pusey, to no reaction from Daley: "I therefore find this accused man guilty on the information presented."
Neita-Robertson asked the court for a non-custodial sentence, noting that Daley had suffered enough with the loss of his job due to the conviction, but the magistrate declined the petition.
"The offence for which you have been convicted... is something, to my mind, that cannot be punished by a non-custodial sentence," Pusey responded and sentenced him to 18 months in prison.
Immediately following the verdict, Daley was led away to be processed. He was released shortly after on bail.
Reaction to the conviction came quickly, led by Acting Police Commissioner Owen Ellington who hailed it as a clear demonstration of the "will and courage of the JCF to go after corrupt police officers, no matter the rank involved".
Said Ellington: "Corruption is listed as one of my top six strategic priorities and we will be pursuing corrupt and unprofessional officers with vigour until we rid the organisation of these persons."
"The JCF will continue to make the separation between good, law-abiding and hard-working policemen and women and the corrupt, unprofessional and lazy policemen and women," said Ellington, who praised the "brave" officers who worked on preparing the case, despite challenges "even from within".
Executive director of Jamaicans For Justice, Dr Carolyn Gomes viewed the conviction as "vindication" of the stance of her human rights organisation and called for more conviction of corrupt cops.
Statements from the Police Officers Association and rank-and- file counterparts were more muted.
</span>
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