Suicidal abuser had a chequered past

INVESTIGATORS SAY the man suspected of committing suicide yesterday in Beverly Hills, St Andrew, has a dark and chequered past, with reports of assault against women and attempts at trying to take his own life previously.

In one instance, The Gleaner was informed that Osbourne Sproul, 44, was allegedly rescued from a suicide attempt when someone cut the rope that he tied around his neck then tried to suspend his body.

The Irish Town police say he is known to them and the community, where he had lived for a long time.

“He was probably born there and used to attend Papine High. Him do some things in the community and people know about them. I am not surprised,” a resident said when asked how she knew Sproul.

Yesterday, Sproul’s actions took another bizarre turn after he mowed down a policeman and a woman, before he subsequently hanged himself.

The woman and the policeman, a constable assigned to the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations (CTOC) Branch, are both hospitalised and in serious condition.

Reports from the St Andrew Central Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB) is that the injured woman initially jumped from the moving car as it travelled along along Old Hope Road in St Andrew during an argument with Sproul.

The policeman, who was passing by, intervened and assisted the woman. However, Sproul, who was reportedly driving a red CRV, reversed and intentionally mowed down the two.

The driver left the scene and during checks was later found hanging by rope at a premises along Montclair Drive in Beverly Hills, which is close to Old Hope Road.

A police source with knowledge of matters involving Sproul told The Gleaner that his antics are not surprising to many people, some of whom expressed publicly that his latest actions will never be forgiven.

“He lived in Irish Town close to the station and he had a history of being violent to women. He tried to kill a woman already in Irish Town, his babymother,” the senior cop told The Gleaner.

“He stabbed her in the face and then he tried to stab her in her chest, he missed and the knife broke. He was arrested for the matter and went to court. If my memory serves me right, he got a suspended sentence,” the unnamed policeman said.

Our news team understands that that incident took place on the verandah of a former member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

The Gleaner was also told that Sproul was charged for assaulting men in the past.

“He threw a block in a man’s head one December. He attempted to kill himself at least three times already, the babymother that he attempted to kill, she had to cut him down from ropes once,” the senior officer, who requested anonymity, said.

Known to be ‘extremely violent’

The Gleaner also gathered that Sproul had made clear his hatred for the police, who kept a watchful eye on him.

“Do the digging. He is from Irish Town and is known by everybody to be extremely violent. People don’t really deal with him, most of the youth fear him,” the police source said.

The police probe into the series of events yesterday morning continues.

Commander of the St Andrew Central Police Division, Senior Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth, confirmed reports of yesterday’s bizarre events.

Up to press time, the condition of the injured persons were not ascertained.

“He was not responsive. All now I can’t believe what happened. One thing lead to another. I just pray the policeman will pull through,” a colleague of the injured cop said.