Special Envoy Demands Action After Cop’s Domestic Abuse Case Collapses in Court

The Office of the Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children is demanding swift administrative action against a police constable whose domestic violence case was dismissed this week after the complainant declined to proceed.

The Special Envoy, Rossana Briceño, expressed “deep concern and outrage” over the appalling act of abuse against a woman and a child inside their home. The statement underscored that the accused is a police officer, a factor it says makes the incident even more alarming.

The call for action follows Monday’s dismissal of charges against Police Constable Phillip Garbutt, 39, of the Traffic Support Unit. Garbutt had been charged with wounding his common law wife and harming her eight-year-old son in connection with a February 17 domestic dispute at a Watermelon Street residence.

The case unraveled in court when the virtual complainant, 38-year-old caregiver Deidra Jacobs, took the stand and told the magistrate, “I nuh wah no further court action.” Prosecutors pressed Jacobs on whether she had been threatened, pressured, or offered anything in exchange for withdrawing the matter. She responded no.

With the complainant unwilling to testify, the prosecution offered no evidence, and the magistrate dismissed both charges shortly after 10 a.m. Garbutt, who appeared unrepresented, was told he was free to go.

The case had drawn widespread public attention after video footage from inside the home went viral on social media. Police reports alleged that during the altercation, Garbutt choked and punched Jacobs and later slapped her son when the child attempted to intervene. Doctors classified Jacobs’ injuries as wounding and the child’s as harm.

The Special Envoy’s Office is urging the Police Minister and CEO of Home Affairs, along with the Commissioner of Police, to ensure the officer is removed from duty and held accountable through administrative channels.

“No officer should ever stand above the law,” the release stated, adding that those who fail in their duty to protect citizens, particularly within their own homes, forfeit the privilege of wearing the uniform.