David Junior Fernando Sanchez, who was denied access to his lawyer following his arrest in 2019, has been awarded over $115,000 in compensation. This ruling was made by High Court Judge Robin Mohammed, who confirmed Sanchez’s constitutional motion against the Attorney General’s Office. Sanchez was arrested in 2019 during a police operation targeting illegal quarrying. He was held at the Cumuto Police Station where he was not informed of his right to an attorney nor allowed to contact one. His family eventually retained attorneys who were initially denied access to him due to a ‘technical security issue’. Judge Mohammed ruled that Sanchez’s constitutional rights had been violated, citing no valid reason for denying his attorneys access and the unlawful duration of his detention. The judge ordered $65,000 in damages for Sanchez, $50,000 in vindicatory damages to discourage future misconduct, and the State was also ordered to pay Sanchez’s legal costs of $26,250.
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