Premier’s assistant seeking witnesses
Kenneth Bryan on the PPM campaign trail 2013
(CNS): The premier’s political assistant appeared in Summary Court Monday facing charges that relate to an argument with police in a nightclub car-park last year. Kenneth Bryan, who has denied disorderly conduct and assaulting police, is appealing for witnesses who were there that night to contact him as he believes there are at least two people who would have overheard what he said to the officers and why that may be able to help clear up the case.
Making his first appearance in the court, Bryan said nothing during the brief hearing as the case was adjourned until next month while attorneys wait on paper work from the prosecutors. Although a political appointee of the Progressive government, there was no one from the party to show any support for Bryan at his first appearance in the dock.
However, the opposition leader was there to show his support for Bryan.
Outside the court McKeeva Bush said even though Bryan’s party colleagues were not there, he had come to offer his support because, even though he was on the other side of the political divide, he wanted to know why it was that Bryan was suspended from his job and had found himself facing criminal charges because of an argument with a police officer while Osbourne Bodden was still a sitting Cabinet minister, despite his well-publicised verbal assault on his chief officer.
“What’s the difference?” Bush asked. He said he would be pressing forward with his concerns that Bodden was not being investigated and said he had a meeting with the governor Monday afternoon regarding the issue.
Although Bryan has been charged with assault, the allegations relate to a verbal exchange and not a physical one, in which Bryan is accused of cursing the police officer. Bryan is expected to plead not guilty at his next appearance as the former TV news reporter, who left Cayman27 to run for office in the May 2013 general election in George Town, has stated publicly that the disagreement with the police stemmed from his efforts to prevent them from arresting the wrong man in an unrelated incident.
On Monday, speaking to CNS after his court appearance, Bryan said he was very keen to find two people who he believes not only witnessed the incident but would have heard the full exchange between himself and the officer who arrested him.
Bryan has said that his arrest came as a result of his involvement in a dispute between an off-duty female police officer and a former lover who was harassing and frightening the woman. Bryan and a number of other people became involved in order to stop the harassment but when the police arrived, Bryan saw that they were jumping to the wrong conclusions and were attempted to arrest one of the Good Samaritans rather that the man who was intimidating the female officer. In an effort to set things straight, Bryan himself ended up on the wrong side of the law and was arrested.
Bryan said that as he tried to explain to the officer the mistake he was making and as the discussion became more heated, there were several witnesses around but in particular two men who were very close to the exchange between Bryan and the arresting officer. On arrest, one of those men assisted Bryan in securing his own vehicle before he was taken to the police station. Bryan is asking him and the other man to contact him via Facebook or email (kennethbryan2@hotmail.com) as they may be able to assist in clearing his name and bring the case to a speedier conclusion.
“I would really like to find these people as they are likely to have heard what was said and can verify the situation,” Bryan said.
The altercation happened at around 10pm Saturday 11 October in the carpark of Dream’s nightclub on the West Bay Road.
See related story on CNS: Premier’s political assistant charged in cop altercation
