Police Sergeant Cleared of All Charges in High-Profile Case

Police Sergeant Lenroy Samuel was acquitted of charges of Obstructing the Course of Justice and Breach of Trust on Tuesday, December 3. Justice Stanley John instructed a jury to deliver not guilty verdicts on both counts, bringing an end to the three-year legal ordeal for the officer.

“You are discharged,” Justice John told Samuel shortly before noon, marking his formal release from the charges that had loomed over him since his 2021 arrest.

The allegations stemmed from a 2020 incident in which Samuel was accused of communicating with a detainee and the detainee’s sister, allegedly resulting in the disappearance of a cellphone belonging to the person in custody. Samuel was arrested nearly a year after the incident.

The trial opened Tuesday morning in the High Court, beginning with the selection of a nine-member jury and two alternates. However, proceedings took a dramatic turn when defense attorney Stephen Daniels argued that evidence central to the prosecution’s case had been improperly obtained.

In a preliminary hearing without the jury present, Daniels contended that the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) had failed to secure warrants for critical evidence, including Samuel’s phone records, CCTV footage, and telecommunications data, from the High Court as required by law. Instead, the warrants had been issued by the Magistrate’s Court, a procedural error that Daniels argued invalidated the evidence.

Senior Crown Counsel Sherman MacNicols, representing the prosecution, conceded the error but urged the court to allow the evidence to stand due to the nature of the allegations. However, Justice John was unpersuaded.

“I don’t think this is a case I can step out of the box,” the judge remarked, rejecting the prosecution’s argument.

The exclusion of the improperly obtained evidence proved decisive. The prosecution admitted they could not proceed without it, as it underpinned testimony from two key witnesses.

With the jury recalled, Justice John explained the circumstances and directed them to return not guilty verdicts on both charges. Samuel, a long-serving officer, walked out of court a free man, with the case against him effectively dismantled.