Criminal charges could be reinstated against Police Constable Phillip Garbutt 

There are indications tonight that criminal charges could be reinstated against Police Constable Phillip Garbutt, the officer at the center of a widely circulated domestic violence video that shocked the nation earlier this year.  Police spokesman ASP Stacy Smith today alluded to developments in the case during remarks to the media, suggesting that authorities are actively reviewing the matter and that further information will be made public in due course.

ACP Stacy Smith, Belize Police Department: “Reinstating charges that did not go the full length is not something new, it’s not something unlawful. I would have indicated on the last occasion in relation to PC Garbutt when the matter was withdrawn on that occasion given that it did not go the trial length I did not fear that charges would not have been reinstitute and I anticipate that to be done in due course as has happened in this other case. So the long and short of it is that when matters are dismissed or withdrawn there is an opportunity to reintroduce it providing it is not an abuse of process.”

Garbutt, who is attached to the Traffic Support Unit of the Belize Police Department, initially faced charges of wounding his common-law wife, thirty-eight-year-old Deidre Jacobs, and harm to his eight-year-old stepson following a February 17 domestic incident that was captured on surveillance footage and later leaked publicly.  However, on April 21, the criminal charges against Garbutt were dismissed after Jacobs informed the court that she no longer wished to proceed with the matter. Despite the dismissal, authorities had indicated at the time that the matter was far from over. Love News had confirmed that the case was referred to the Director of Human Services after concerns emerged that the office had not been informed about the withdrawal of charges involving the minor child.  The disturbing video, which circulated heavily on social media, showed a heated altercation inside the family home. During the incident, the eight-year-old boy appeared to intervene with a metal bat in an effort to defend his mother before allegedly being assaulted by Garbutt himself.  Medical examinations later classified Jacobs’ injuries as wounding and the child’s injuries as harm.