Justice Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell. -
A Point Fortin man who was dragged to an unsanitary area near a washroom at the "Bikini Bottoms” event in Point Fortin in August 2017 will receive $.1 million in compensation for the “egregious and heavy-handed” assault by the police.
In a decision on the quantum of damages for casual labourer Kriston Aguillera, Justice Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell said compensation was appropriate because of “the retaliatory nature of the assault and the need for deterrence of this type of conduct” by the police.
She awarded Aguillera, 26, a total of $135,000.
The judge had previously delivered an oral decision on liability at a virtual hearing of the trial in October. The decision on the assessment of the amount of compensation was reserved. Last month, Donaldson-Honeywell gave her decision on compensation, saying, “The conduct of the police officers in launching a retaliatory physical attack on a civilian is an abuse of their powers.