Former Member of Parliament and government minister, Dean Jonas, has filed a lawsuit against the Commissioner of Police, Corporal Jason Joseph, and the Attorney General of Antigua and Barbuda, alleging a series of legal wrongs, including assault, malicious prosecution, and false imprisonment.

The case, which was filed in the High Court of Justice this week, stems from an incident on February 23, 2023, when armed police officers, including Corporal Joseph, allegedly entered Jonas’ home without a warrant, assaulted him, and subsequently arrested him in the presence of his nine-year-old son.

Jonas claims that the officers, acting at the behest of his son’s mother, arrived to retrieve the child despite an ongoing custody matter being handled by his attorney, Wendel Robinson. He says he informed the officers of this, requested they leave, but was instead assaulted and taken into custody.

Jonas was detained at St. John’s Police Station for several hours before being granted bail. He was initially charged with offenses under the Small Charges Act, including threatening language, battery, and resisting arrest.

However, his attorney successfully argued in court this September that the officers failed to obtain prior authorisation from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), as required by the Criminal Prosecution Service Act 2017, before filing charges. Furthermore, the charges were later withdrawn and refiled without proper notification to Jonas, leading to their dismissal by Magistrate Dane Hamilton Jr., who deemed the refiled charges an abuse of process.

The lawsuit accuses the police of violating Jonas’ rights by unlawfully trespassing on his property, using excessive force, and filing baseless charges motivated by malice.

Adding to the allegations, Corporal Joseph is accused of posting a video of the incident on his personal Facebook page under the name “Jason Jonah Joseph,” along with inflammatory captions, including one labeling Jonas as “THE HONOURABLE IDIOT.” The posts, which were later removed, are cited as evidence of malice and an attempt to publicly humiliate Jonas.

Jonas is seeking damages for assault, malicious prosecution, wrongful arrest, false imprisonment, and trespass. Attorney Alexander is also requesting aggravated, exemplary, and punitive damages, along with compensation for personal injuries and harm to his reputation.

Jonas is represented by Attorney-at-Law Wendel Alexander, who described the actions of the police as a blatant disregard for legal procedures and an abuse of authority.