Full Statement: Why the police have closed the assault case involving Westmoreland MP

The police have now closed their assault case involving Westmoreland Central MP George Wright.

A police source close to the probe said both the woman, Tannisha Singh, and Wright have indicated that they no longer wish to press charges.

The assault was captured on closed-circuit TV.

See full statement released by the police information arm:

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has conducted investigations into a physical altercation between Member of Parliament, George Wright and Businesswoman, Tannisha Singh.

Following an exhaustive investigation and interview process that conformed with law enforcement best practices and involved both parties, it is now clear that the investigation into the alleged incident has come to an end at this time.

This, as a result of the unwillingness of the parties involved and potential witnesses to participate in the investigation, as well as the poor quality of the video alleged to capture the incident.

On the afternoon of April 6, 2021 both Ms. Singh and Mr. Wright made independent reports of a physical altercation that day. Ms. Singh made a report to the Anchovy Police, while later that evening Mr. Wright made a report to the Ramble Police. 

Given the physical state of Ms. Singh, the police escorted her to a medical facility to ensure she received treatment. She was asked to return to the station after treatment in order to give a formal statement. To date, attempts at securing said statement have proven futile.

Mr Wright was asked to seek medical attention and return to give a statement, at which time he stated that he was unwilling to do so.

On Sunday April 11, 2021 a video began circulating of a physical altercation between a man and a woman. Based on the local knowledge of the police, the location was preliminarily identified and an officer was assigned that day to identify the source of the footage.

On April 12, a preservation order for the footage was served on the holder of the footage and the Communication Forensic and Cybercrime Division subsequently extracted the footage.

On the afternoon of April 12, Abel Don Foote made contact with the police on behalf of Mr. Wright, stating his willingness to attend an interview. Mr Wright was interviewed in the presence of his attorney on Wednesday, April 14, 2021.

Ms Singh was interviewed in the presence of her attorneys on Thursday, April 15, 2021. In both interviews, the parties made it abundantly clear that they had no intention to pursue the matter further and would not cooperate with the police investigations into the matter.

The poor quality of the footage and the unwillingness of persons at the location to cooperate with our investigations made it impossible to conclusively identify the persons captured in the video.

However, even if the footage was of the highest quality, the police would not have been able to mount a case that met the basic evidentiary standard without the cooperation of the parties involved.

The JCF reiterates its commitment to pursue seriously cases of domestic abuse regardless of the individual or individuals who are alleged to have committed the act.

However, in order to pursue such matters the Police require statements which are of probative value. 

Despite our best efforts, statements were not forthcoming in connection with this probe and, as such, the investigation has come to a natural end.

However, if either or both parties wishes to revisit the matter at a later date, the Police are willing to resume investigations accordingly.

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