Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Harrigan estate man wins more than $30K in Wrongful Arrest, Unlawful Search case

Harrigan estate man wins more than $30K in Wrongful Arrest, Unlawful Search case

A Harrigan Estate man, Damion A. Morgan, has won more than $30, 000.00 in a High Court case against the Attorney General with the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) as Subject. Morgan, as Claimant, sought federal and special vindicatory damages against the defenders for Unlawful Search, Wrongful Arrest, False Imprisonment, and malicious prosecution.
He also sought pre-judgment interest from August 6, 2018, to the day of Judgement at the rates of 3% per annum/or such rate and for such period as the court deems just.

Baby taken on rainy night from Festival Village

According to the judgement seen by Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) and published yesterday, Friday, February 23, 2023, Morgan had seen his young baby in the care of a friend of the baby's mother, Chrystal Mitchell, at the Festival Village in the late evening of August 2018.

He then decided to take the baby home with him as he was concerned about the baby being out in the condition; however, did not communicate his decision to the baby’s mother, which resulted in an argument between the two at his home.

The judgment added that Ms Mitchell contacted Morgan and then went to the apartment to uplift the baby; however, he refused to let her have the child.

He said police later contacted him by telephone informing him of a report by Ms Mitchell that he has the baby; however, he informed the police that he was the father and would return the child in the morning since the said baby was asleep.

Police arrive at apartment to uplift baby

Mogan said as the father, he had a right to remove the baby from the Festival Village given the conditions at the time. However, around 2:00 AM later that evening, a team of officers arrived at his apartment and banged on the door and, before he could open it, broke into the apartment and eventually removed the sleeping baby from him.

The police, when questioned, said they did not need a warrant for their entry and would show him ‘how the law works’. The police officers also did not have a court order to remove the baby from his care and the claimant testified that he also did not hear the police vehicle or call-out by the police officers for him to open the door.

The Claimant further reported that the police broke into his home, had the baby taken and he was then pulled out of his apartment, slammed against his car, handcuffed and transported to the Road Town Police Station where he was not told about the reasons for his arrest.

The judgement added that at the station, the claimant was told he did not ‘push out any child’ and as such, had no right to decide to take a child home with him the night. The incident at the home was witnessed by the Claimant’s brother and a female companion in the living room.

Police said they took action based on the situation

Police in their defence said they entered the home out of the urgency of the situation and on suspicion that the claimant may have been intoxicated based on reports from the baby’s mother that he was drunk. The police also charged him with common assault, based on claims of the baby's mother.

Morgan was subsequently prosecuted at the Magistrate’s Court; however, the matter was eventually discontinued by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

As part of the judgement, Judge Heather Felix-Evans ultimately ruled that the claimant should receive US $7500 in damages for unlawful search, US $20,000 for wrongful arrest or false imprisonment, US $5000 for malicious prosecution and nominal damage for legal fees at the sum of US $1,500.

Pre-judgement interest was awarded on the global sum from August 2018 to the date of judgement at a rate of 3% per annum. He is also expected to receive Statutory interest at a rate of 5% per annum from the date of judgement, along with the prescribed cost.

Mr Jamal Smith and Ms Crustal McKenzie were Counsels for the claimants and the Attorney General was represented by Nicosie R. Drummett as Principal Crown Counsel/Counsel for the defendant.

The judgement comes as the Caucasian UK police officers currently in the VI have allegedly been going around and arresting public residents, unlawfully entering their homes without warrants and ceasing property belonging to residents in a similar fashion.

Many of those persons arrested have been released without charges.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×